


The End is the Beginning

by fivekrystalpetals



Series: All Roads Lead to...Oriande [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Acxa Lotor's most trusted general, Acxa and Keith's warrior bond, Allura (Voltron) Lives, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate ending Voltron Season 7 and Season 8, Black Paladin Keith (Voltron), F/F, F/M, Gen, Keith & Allura at constant loggerheads, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith (Voltron)-centric, Minor Allura/Lance (Voltron), Past Allura/Lotor (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron) Dies, Voltron Season 7 and 8 fix-it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 77,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23475760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fivekrystalpetals/pseuds/fivekrystalpetals
Summary: "The Universe is facing the gravest threat it has ever seen. Honerva has exploited vulnerable people and bent them to her will. Today, we risk our lives for the greater good. We are the only thing that can stop her and defend the Universe. It is time to begin our assault on Oriande. It is time...to end this war."The story of how Voltron saved the Universe from the evil plans that Haggar had in store for them as mostly narrated by Paladin of the Black Lion, Keith, the ex-Galra general Acxa and the last princess of the fallen empire of Altea, Princess Allura.
Relationships: Acxa/Keith (Voltron), Allura & Keith (Voltron), Allura/Lance (Voltron), Allura/Lotor (Voltron), Ezor/Zethrid (Voltron), Haggar/Zarkon (Voltron), Keith & Black Lion (Voltron), Keith & Keith's Wolf (Voltron), Keith & Krolia (Voltron), Keith & The Blade of Marmora
Series: All Roads Lead to...Oriande [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1613290
Comments: 227
Kudos: 107





	1. Preface

**Author's Note:**

> ****IMPORTANT****  
> I do not consent for my work be hosted by any third party site or app. This piece of fanfiction 'The End is the Beginning' (in the series 'All Roads Lead to...Oriande') has been posted ONLY in archiveofourown.org under the pseud fivekrystalpetals.
> 
> Please note that this is for purely entertainment purposes, and NOT for any monetary gain. This means that you, as the reader, DO NOT have to pay to read this fanfic.
> 
> Also, this work is strictly my intellectual property. If you find this fanfic on any other app or site or under any other name, in part or in whole, it has been reposted without my permission, so kindly bring it to my notice. Thank you.

I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this piece of fiction, except for a few that I have created as per the story's requirements. Otherwise, all the characters belong to Voltron Legendary Defender and/or Dreamworks (WEP).

The story that I have written here is to be taken purely as an alternate universe ending as far as Season 7 and 8 are concerned. The overall storyline will be based on the canon episodes from these two seasons.

‘The End is the Beginning’ (Part 3 in the series ‘All Roads Lead to...Oriande’) is the final part of the series. In this part, I will be tying up most of the loose ends from part 1 (‘The Road to Home’) and part 2 (‘The Last Stand’). As the reader, do remind me in case you find an obvious thread that I embarrassingly left sticking out of my weaving.

**Keith is the true Black Paladin of Voltron:** The primary focus will be on Keith and the leader he becomes to lead not only Voltron but also the Galra, something he could never achieve in canon. He was forever in the shadows and under the command of Shiro, even after the latter was no longer the Black Paladin. I found this severely disappointing as a Keith fan (no hate intended for Shiro, though). Keith never got any credit for whatever he had done throughout the seasons and I sincerely hoped that Season 8 would do him justice. Unfortunately, that was not to be.

**Our two favorite alien ladies for the spotlight:** Allura and Acxa come a close second as the characters of focus as both of their story arcs are important for their character growth as well as Keith’s. Hence, most of the narration will be from the point of view of the three of them. I have not written from Allura’s POV so far, and it might be a bit challenging but of course, I look forward to the challenge.

Keith and Allura may have a lot of interactions (I cannot promise anything right now, but if the story goes the way I intend it to, then yes) mainly for them to come to terms with all that happened in the last part.

But what I do promise is the huge amount of Keith x Acxa content in this part. *squeals, waves hands wildly and gets heart attack from the amount of sweet* I will compensate for all I couldn’t deliver in the last part. Hopefully. And did I mention angst? For that will be there in plenty. Because I am evil that way? Because the story demands it? 

**Keith and Lotor have a heart-to-heart:** If you remember from the Preface of ‘The Road to Home’, I had mentioned that Lotor will get redeemed. So, yes, the redemption will be here and I think it will not be in the way you expect. After the Kral Zera episode, I really wanted these two half Galra guys to sit down and talk for some time. In better circumstances, I am sure they would have made good friends as they are quite similar to each other in a lot of ways.

**Atlas and crew:** Sorry canon, you can’t just introduce a bunch of characters at the last moment and expect me to endear up to them at the cost of all the characters I cherished and cared for, till then. So, in my alternate universe, the Atlas and its crew make an appearance when needed, otherwise they are just gonna be in the background.

As I already mentioned in the endnote of ‘The Last Stand’, till now I complied with whatever was shown in canon for Season 7. But Season 8 rewrite is going to remarkably different. Though things from canon may occur, they will be for some other reason than what was presented. I had introduced vast changes throughout my story which would bear fruit here, so that you can finally understand why certain things went the way they did. Some of the revelations might make you go ‘ahhhh-!’ and some ‘duh’...but of course, that is for you to let me know! 

One major difference from canon will be that my story will end at S8E6 'Genesis' episode. All that happens after that doesn't occur here, although some incidents may be included. Meaning, the final epic battle between Paladins and Honerva will be at Oriande as per the title of the series. 

If you are okay with all the above points and continue to read my story, I will be really happier than I can express. And if you like what you are reading, do let me know in the comments. I really treasure all my readers' opinions. 

Signing off, this is me...truly yours, fivekrystalpetals.

I hope you enjoy reading the final part as much as I enjoy writing it!


	2. The Prisoner's Dilemma

Acxa sniffed in the damp air that smelt heavily of a strange metallic odor. She pricked her ears to detect any faint noises. That wasn’t really necessary, for next to her, a female voice cursed loudly, “Oh, quiznack!”

She wondered groggily what had gone wrong now. The mission to Oriande had been a complete disaster from the go. She and the Alteans underwent a turbulent journey to arrive at the coordinates of the planet, only to find nothing there. The first time she flew Haggar to Oriande, she had come across a massive white hole emanating light out of nowhere and a graveyard of spaceships which obviously lost power and got destroyed as they went too close to the source.

Merla suggested that she might have logged in the wrong coordinates. But Acxa was quite sure about the accuracy of her intel. When Haggar had given her the coordinates of their new destination, she remembered being quite shocked. “High Priestess, but this is in the Patrulian Zone. That area is deemed unsafe for navigation.” Haggar had paid no heed to her words and insisted that they travel to the particular planet.

This time, however, there were absolutely no signs that such a place ever existed. The whole of the Patrulian Zone had just vanished.

She slowly opened her eyes to see what was going on around her. _I am in a cell? I am handcuffed...I am held captive? On a Galra cruiser? Where are the Alteans?_

She turned around in alarm only to cower against the wall behind her, her bonded hands automatically reaching for her blade. Next to her sat three strange creatures, staring blankly at her. “Who—what are you? What have you done to my companions?”

“Did she hit her head too hard?” one of them asked. “Perhaps, she woke up with amnesia.”

“Rian, she doesn’t know about us,” The one sitting closest to her, scolded in a high nasal voice. She raised a finger to her lips. “Acxa, it is me, Merla. And they are Tavo and Rian. Do not fear. We are only... _transformed_.”

“ _Transformed_? What are you talking about?”

The creature pointed to her saucer like eye and whispered, “Look carefully. Do you see my purple marking below my eye?”

Sure enough, the purple indent was present. Tavo had told her about their Altean markings while returning from the Quantum Abyss. _The Altean marking is of a different color for everyone. It is our identity. However we might transform, we can never get rid of it._

Acxa studied them. Merla had changed into some sort of an aqua species with webbed feet and hands, burgundy seaweed for her hair and her nose shaped into a snout. The next one had white stripes over his dark face and limbs. _Tavo._ His fingers had elongated into claws and his stiff black hair and usually trimmed beard was hanging down from his face in the form of tentacles. Rian’s metamorphosis was similar but instead of stripes, he had small conical protrusions all over his skin. His green hair stood up as two large horns and his aquamarine markings were painted as large inverted triangles below his asymmetric eyes.

Acxa frowned in confusion. “How did you change your forms like this? Will you be able to transform back?”

“Hopefully.” Merla didn’t sound so hopeful. “This was the only way to hide our identities from them. Do you remember what happened?”

Acxa sifted through her hazy memories and made out some vague details. “I was shot?”

Tavo nodded his head. “A Galra cruiser landed on our planet and started shooting at us before we could take cover. One glance at the number of soldiers and the weapons they carried, we realized we would get captured. So, we shape-shifted before they noticed our real selves. They carried you away for some time, maybe...to patch up your wounds or something? You were passed out the whole time.”

Acxa tried to imagine that. _Galra soldiers patching up wounds? Impossible!_ “Who exactly has captured us?”

“No idea. Our captors were all masked. They kept coming to see if you regained your consciousness. The woman said she had some unfinished business with you.”

“Unfinished business?”

Rian shrugged helplessly. “I really don’t know. All I know is that she is a mammoth. I thought she would crush all my bones with one hand.”

Just then, four Galra soldiers armed with guns entered the cell. Behind them, loomed the two figures Acxa definitely didn’t want to cross her paths with. _Not again._

“Long time no see, Acxa,” Ezor sneered. “Isn’t it time to settle our scores?”

The Alteans rose to their feet to fight their captors even as they started to drag Acxa out of the cell. Unfortunately, they were no match to the guards, double their size. Zethrid coolly kneed Tavo in the chest. He landed against the wall with a groan and a loud thud.

Before they could hit her companions more, Acxa tried to pacify the situation. “Guys, I-I will be fine. They only want to talk to me. I will be back soon.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ezor had a wicked glint in her eyes. “I promise she will return to you. Dead or alive, that’s for us to decide. Blofar, lock up the others and take this one to the main detention room.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Acxa paced around in the room. She knew in her heart that sooner or later, this meeting was bound to happen. Though she was glad they survived the explosion that Keith had caused, she felt jittery. _For all I know, they will kill me today. I must bargain with them so that at least the Alteans can escape and tell the Blades of our discovery._

She was racking her brain for any ideas when the door opened and in walked the duo.

“Ezor, Zethrid,” she spoke up as soon as they entered. “I do not understand why you have captured us. When I left your fleet nearly four decaphoeebs ago, wasn’t this supposed to be our deal? That you must not interfere in my affairs and vice versa?”

Zethrid folded her huge arms over her chest. “Oh yeah? And yet, you and that Paladin of yours blew up our cruiser.”

“I would have died, if not for Zethrid. Of course, why should that concern you?” Ezor paused, probably waiting for an answer but Acxa said nothing. She continued, “Today, I want revenge. Why, it seems your favorite Paladin is not around. Are you waiting for him to swoop in like the other day?”

Acxa rolled her eyes. _I had not expected him to save me the other day, nor do I expect that today._ “Look, Ezor, if you want to kill me, go ahead. But before that, free my companions. They have done you no harm.”

“You do not command me on my own ship, Acxa.” Ezor landed a punch on her face. “You are not my senior officer. Not anymore.”

It was an unfair fight. But the Galra were never the ones to complain about unfairness. Soon, Acxa was lying on the ground, bleeding badly from numerous wounds, new and old, reopened from their punches and blows. She managed to protect her face as best as she could with a pair of cuffed hands. Finally, they ended their assault with a strong kick to her ribs and collapsed into their respective seats. Grimacing from the pain radiating from her possibly fractured bones, Acxa leaned on the wall behind her, teetering on the brink of unconsciousness.

“Whoa!” Ezor was saying. “Zethrid, I told you not to hit her too hard.”

“Ah, I am sorry. I got carried away. It’s been a long time since I got to thrash someone.”

Then, she passed out.

When Acxa woke up, she found herself alone in the room, reclining on a large couch and a blanket draped over her. She tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. The room started to spin around her. She pressed her palm to her forehead to steady herself. Presently, she heard a voice travelling towards her through layers of foam. “Hello, kitty is awake.”

Heavy footsteps walked up to her. She looked up to see Ezor standing over her, her hands on her hips. “How are you feeling?”

“You surprise me,” Acxa sighed. “I thought you wanted me dead.”

“No biggie, Acxa. We kept you alive ‘cuz we want to have a little talk with you. A dead person cannot speak, you know.”

Acxa was about to say that she didn’t have time for small talks when she had a sudden idea. _Maybe, if I oblige with their interrogation, I can negotiate for a ship from their fleet._ “Fine. What is it you want to know?”

“Hmm, first of all,” Ezor pulled out a Marmoran blade from her pocket. _My blade!_ “What is this knife you carry?”

“That is none of your business.”

She didn’t seem upset by her answer. She simply put the blade back into her pocket. “Well, then, you are not getting back your knife. Moving on, who are your companions? What were you doing on the planet where we found you?”

She huffed, “What makes you think I will tell you all that?”

Zethrid and Ezor shared a look. “I told you, Ezor. We are unnecessarily being kind to this wench. We must torture her some more.”

“Or we can start again with something simpler. Perhaps, then, we can get her to answer.” Ezor turned to her. “What is the guy’s name?”

Acxa was confused. _What guy...? Keith? What do they want with him now?_ “Acxa, come on. It’s just a name. I’m curious about the guy for whom the cold and calculating general Acxa fell for.”

“Ezor, I know nothing about what you speak. Having said that, I think you are assuming too much into matters that concern you in no way.”

“Bold of you to say that this doesn’t concern us.” Ezor pulled up a chair with her head tendril and seated herself in front of her. “When a friend of ours gallivants off with some guy she doesn’t even know properly, it certainly becomes our concern. You abandoned us, our friendship and everything we offered. Why? We are so worthless that you can just toss us away?”

“I didn’t gallivant off,” Acxa answered slowly. “I didn’t abandon you either. I left after making sure that the two of you had all the resources you needed for a lifetime. You are right, Ezor. I am no longer your senior officer. You two have come a long way now to command an entire fleet by yourself.”

They were silent for a long moment. Then, Ezor burst out. “She is as wily as ever. She stepped around what I actually asked. Answer the question, Acxa! You left for the Red Paladin, didn’t you?”

“Why would you--”

“Yes or no?!”

Acxa drew a deep breath. She realized that they would never understand her stand on things. How could she explain to them that the lifestyle they were forcing her to, was the very one she had been fighting against for her entire life? She hated the greedy, power grabbing and merciless slaughtering ways of her father’s side. As the full blooded Galra said, her mother’s side probably did make her weak and sympathetic to the sufferings in the Universe. She had hoped and still hoped that Keith would bring about the day when she could live proudly no matter what her lineage might be. “Yes, I left for him.”

Ezor stood up from her seat, clearly angry at her words. “I knew it! Ah, I knew it!” Zethrid tried to pat her anger away but she was working herself up into a fury. “Did you hear that, Zethrid? She accepts she left for that long haired boy. I am so frustrated.”

She pushed away her chair to get into her face. “You are a coward. A traitor. As soon as the chips were down, you decided to betray your own people? The Voltron team, Coalition or whatever they call themselves, hates the Galra, you know that.”

Acxa said nothing. Suddenly, she felt like she was fighting the war all alone. _But why am I even in this war? More importantly, who am I fighting against? The full blooded Galra? The Coalition? Honerva? Which side does a half-breed like me belong to?_

Ezor seemed to read her mind for when she continued, her voice was a bit softer than before. “That is why we need to stick together. Don’t you remember the very reason why we joined Lotor? Because he promised that we will not be discriminated against, after he becomes the ruler.”

“However, his motive was something entirely different. He wanted to get rid of the Galra and establish an Altean empire.”

“Exactly. Not only did you carry out his every order faithfully, but also forced us to follow his plans. Look what it brought us to. And now, you are only repeating your mistakes. You follow that Earthling like a loyal dog just as you did for Lotor. I can bet my entire fleet that the guy will use your knowledge to his advantage and throw you out like garbage at the end.”

“He is an honorable warrior, Ezor.” Acxa said, but her voice sounded feeble even to her. _Ezor is right. Why am I helping out the Coalition? What am I expecting them to do for me? Yes, I am doing all this for Keith but... Maybe, after all this is over, he will find it weird to talk to me. Maybe, I will be left alone like always. No one to care for me, no one to wish me well. Not that I bother but still..._

She pulled herself together. There was no time to worry about what might happen in the future. “Ezor, Zethrid. Be honest. You too are living in constant dread of Haggar or some Galra warlord who you fear might conquer you. You want a strong leader who could pull us out of this nightmarish and never-ending war and finally let us live in peace. I believe the Red Paladin will deliver that peace to all the beings of the Universe, the Galra included.” 

“The Galra included?” Ezor scoffed. “Why? Because he has some special affinity towards the Galra?”

“No, because he is a half-breed like us. He is half Galra.”

Her words had the expected effect. They were stunned into silence. But then, Zethrid frowned, “Is this some kind of a joke? Lotor clearly mentioned that the Paladins of Voltron belong to the planet Earth, brought together by the Altean Princess to get rid of the Galra.”

“Lotor lied to us. Keith—he saved my life once--”

Ezor smirked in triumph. “Ah, so Keith is his name?”

Acxa bit her lip at her blunder. _It can’t be helped now._ “He saved my life once. He saved me in spite of knowing that I am Galra. He could have killed me but he didn’t.”

Ezor pulled up her chair from the ground, curiosity visibly replacing her anger. “Okay, this is news. You never told us about this. When did the Red Paladin save your life?”

“In the Weblum,” Acxa replied. “Do you remember the time Lotor sent us to collect the materials for the teludav? And I had to go inside the belly of the Weblum to collect scaultrite? I didn’t return for nearly seven quintants? Well, my fighter got trapped in the stomach of the beast. If it had not been for Keith, I would have died then.”

“Whoa, that was so long ago.” The smirk on Ezor’s face widened to a grin. She clapped her hands and sat up. “Okay, this explains so much. The reason why she acts so cagey about him, why she never wanted to kill him, why she saved him at the Kral Zera, why he came back to save her from us...whoa!”

She started to laugh. “It's a freaking life debt. He saves her, she saves him, then again she saves him, and he saves her and this goes on till...when? For an eternity?”

“Till they hook up, maybe?”

Acxa chided sternly. “Zethrid!”

She held up her hands in apology but didn’t particularly seem apologetic. Ezor was looking at Acxa as if she was an interesting specimen discovered from the ruins of planet Daibazaal. “I’m gonna let you go. You as well as your comrades.”

Zethrid stared at her partner. “Ezor, why?! We are supposed to destroy them.”

“Yeah, but destroying them is no fun. I wanna know how this whole drama rolls out. But before you leave, I want you to do something for me,” Ezor pulled out her blade from her pocket. “You are to leave this knife with me--”

Acxa started to protest. _Leave my blade with her? No way! Sulan entrusted it to me._ “Ezor, no, I cannot leave without my blade.”

Ezor shrugged nonchalantly. “Either you leave this knife here or all of you die. Your choices are limited.”

Acxa tried to think of a third choice as she usually did, but her mind came up with nothing. “So, that is all? I leave my knife here and you let us go.”

“Ha, how is anything ever all, Acxa? You need to swear on your weapon that your Paladin will come true on whatever you promised.”

Acxa was flabbergasted. “What?!”

“You heard me.”


	3. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a disclaimer: This chapter is not really important, just a cheesy filler that I wrote last night and didn't want to drop, so I kept it in. Mostly Kacxa fluff. The actual story development will pick up from the next chapter. 
> 
> Anyways, happy reading!!

Krolia was the living example of an embarrassing mother. Keith had heard enough stories from the kids at his school as to how their moms had ruined their reputation in front of their crush by telling embarrassing stories from their childhood or showing their cute baby photos. Or worse, the moms would try to do things meant to be supportive to their kids’ love lives but turn out to be a disaster. Keith had never faced such a situation before. For one, he didn’t have a mom and second, he didn’t have a crush. Now that he had both, everything he had heard about and feared came true.

So, it was today. Keith was telling his mom of his worries and concerns he carried about Acxa when he suddenly spotted the person in discussion beneath a tree, outside the gate of the graveyard. She had been waiting for them to return from their visit to Dad’s grave. As soon as he saw her, Keith, who had never lost his footing even while fighting in zero gravity, tripped over a twig and blurted out whatever came to his mouth.

And then, his mom decided to be unnecessarily helpful to his cause. After the two ladies had exchanged their initial pleasantries, she patted Kosmo’s head. “Kosmo, let’s go!”

“Mom, wait-wait, I too-we too...uh!”

He was too late. They had already disappeared in a cloud of teleporting glitter. _Mom! WHY?!_

Acxa looked at the man on whom she had staked her honor and her life. He was ruefully watching the spot from where Krolia and his wolf had vanished. Then, he straightened and stole a careful glance at her.

Acxa was not huge at small talks. In fact, she hated it. She was a person who talked mostly about work or just kept quiet. But this situation which she had inadvertently put herself in, she wondered what she was supposed to say.

Thankfully, Keith started to talk. He blinked hard, cleared his throat and pointed to the sky. “You are on Earth...?”

_Was this a question or a statement?_ Either way, it was another one of his annoyingly blatant observations. Others which went something like: _You_ _are Galra? You are turning the ship into a bomb? I guess you_ _can keep your weapon?_ Acxa had almost laughed out loud when he uttered the last statement. _I already have my gun in my hand, mister. What are you going to do about it?_

Over the time, she had come to realize that it was another one of his charms that only endeared him more to her. “Yes, I arrived around fifteen doboshes ago.”

“Oh, so you arrived on Earth and straightaway came to a...graveyard?”

She couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “No, it is not like that. When we arrived at the Garrison entry gate, Kolivan came to receive us. Since Krolia was not there, I asked about her whereabouts. When I was informed that she had gone to a graveyard, I assumed the worst. I—I thought...”

Keith understood what she was trying to say and fell silent. “You thought it was me.”

She nodded slowly. “Matt told me that you were grievously injured after the battle with the Robeast. You were very close to dying.”

“True.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “But as it turns out, I am not that easy to get rid of.”

She relaxed a bit and smiled more easily than she had in the past many phoeebs. There was certainly something about him that helped her be herself and not worry about protecting her companions or rack her brains thinking of yet another plan for escape. With him, she felt safe.

She discreetly ran her eyes over him. “You grew taller over the phoeebs,” she observed.

He looked down at his legs in surprise. “Oh, really?”

She bit back a smile. _So adorable!_ “Yes, really. See, we are almost the same height now.”

His eyes lit up with a childlike excitement. He stepped closer to her to check their height difference. “Right. I was a head shorter than you when we first met.”

Before she could stop herself, she gingerly took his hand in hers. “And, you look more...”

Her mind fell back to the moment of desperation when she swore on her blade for him. An oath on the normal weapons was dangerous enough, she had made a binding oath on her powerful Blade of Marmora. The blade shone brightly for a tick before returning to its steady indigo hue. Almost like sealing her fate to his actions. _It was to save my life and the lives of my comrades. It was the only way out. I had no choice._

The whole of the return journey she spent mulling over her blunder. Ezor was perhaps right. She was loyal to a fault. She had put her life in the hands of a guy she didn’t even know properly. But in her heart, she knew for sure that Keith would not let her down. He was the perfect example of what she hoped the Galra would be if they were properly unified. What she had expected Lotor to be.

She gazed into his eyes. He definitely looked more Galra than the last time she had seen him. That fierce loyalty and readiness to sacrifice anything for those he considered his family, reflected in his clear violet eyes.

However, those eyes were currently darting in all directions, except focusing on her face. He tried slowly. “I look more...more—what?”

“Hmm?”

His eyelids fluttered as if he was uncomfortable. She followed his glance to find that she was still holding his hand. She cursed internally and quickly dropped it. _Seriously, why did I hold his hand?_ His face had turned as red as the uniform he was wearing. _Wait, is he...blushing?_

He gulped and rubbed his hands together. “We should probably get back to the Garrison.”

He was definitely flustered. Not waiting for her, he stepped out on the route they had come there. She made no efforts to hide her smirk as she caught up with him to match his steps with hers.

Keith hoped Acxa didn’t know the pulse rate of humans. If she was going to use him as her subject, she would probably record three hundred beats per minute as her findings. _I must not get a cardiac arrest before I reach the Garrison._ _This is all her fault. Why was she holding my hand and staring into my eyes? And I look more...what? Handsome? Manly? Muscular?_ He ran his fingers through his messy hair to arrange it, something he had never bothered about in his life. _Wow, why am I like this?_

As they walked back, she narrated the story of what happened on her mission to Oriande. According to her, the planet Oriande had just disappeared from existence though the star charts showed that the planet should still be there. _Did Haggar cloak the planet somehow? Maybe, Pidge and her dad will find some answer to this mystery._

The reason why it took them seven months to complete their mission was because a creature had destroyed their ship. She maneuvered it to a nearby planet and the four of them stayed there till help arrived. However, trouble, not help, came in the form of Ezor and Zethrid. Finally, she had to strike some hard bargain with them in order to escape and managed to hitch a ride with a passing Coalition ship, piloted by Matt and Olia.

“The creature that attacked you...I think it is the same Robeast that attacked Earth. The descriptions match. You say it appeared out of nowhere and passed through a wormhole after firing on you?”

She hummed softly. “I think so. Everything happened in a flash. I remember we had exited what should have been the Patrulian Zone. One tick, there was absolutely nothing...but then, all of a sudden, this mech appeared and would have destroyed our ship in one blast. It was all I could do to avoid direct hit.”

“I am glad you are okay, Acxa.” Both of them had tough times in the past few months. She was stranded on a remote planet with scarce resources and he was lying comatose in the medbay.

But here they were, alive, across the Universe and talking and walking together as if they had missed no time at all.

When they reached the Garrison, Keith noticed an assorted gathering of people at the entry gate. On one side stood Kolivan and his mom, with Kosmo at her feet, in deep conversation with three new faces. _Must be the Alteans._ A few feet away stood the four MFE pilots and Lance’s sister, Veronica. She raised a brow when she saw Acxa. “So, this is the Acxa we heard so much about?”

Keith cringed seeing the way the humans were checking her out. The girls had fixed their eyes on her horns and hair and murmured among themselves. Probably, they thought those were some fashion accessories but Acxa was visibly uncomfortable. The slack jawed boys didn’t help the matter either.

One of the Altean guys asked to no one in particular. “And, this is the Keith?”

The Alteans were looking curiously at him as if they had expected something else for Keith. Kolivan and his mom smiled at him, which made him blush in spite of himself.

Presently, the burgundy haired Altean girl stepped out in front of him and bowed her head with her arm crossed over her chest. “It is an honor to meet you, Paladin of the Black Lion. We have heard many stories of your valor. I am Merla, and they are Tavo and Rian.”

The two Altean guys followed suit. Keith wanted to say that he was no longer the Black Paladin, but he guessed this wasn’t the right time. So, he politely accepted their greeting with a salute of his own.

“I am grateful to you for taking care of Romelle when I didn’t,” Merla continued. “When she told me about her suspicions about Lotor, I didn’t believe her. Neither did I believe her when she said that Bandor had been killed by Lotor. You did what I, as the leader of the colony, failed to do. For that, I am eternally in your debt.”

Keith shook his head. “Nobody could have known about Lotor’s true intentions. He gave off the impression of being trustworthy and benevolent. It is not your mistake. Right now, we need to focus on getting back the rest of the Alteans from Honerva.”

Merla nodded and had opened her mouth to reply when Nadia exclaimed, “Oh, the Princess!”

Allura had put on her best formal attire to greet the Alteans. Accompanied by Coran and Romelle on her either side, the circlet made of gold and crystal around her forehead and her pure white hair flowing down her back, she radiated power and dignity of a true princess. She was gushing with joy to finally meet the few who remained of her people.

She was gracious enough to let a weeping Romelle reunite with her friends from the colony. Merla hugged her tightly and offered her condolences for her brother, Bandor. It was a sweet and heart wrenching reunion until the two men also burst into tears and engulfed the two girls into a bear hug of their own. Then, everyone gathered started to laugh amidst their tears.

Finally, Romelle led them to her. “Merla, Tavo, Rian. I would like you to meet Princess Allura of Altea.”

The three Alteans immediately knelt down on one knee, their hands poised in traditional Altean salute.

“Princess Allura,” said Tavo. “We are most honored to meet you...the real princess of our homeland, of whom we have only read in our books and heard about in mythology.”

She folded her hands over the front of her gown. “Please rise, my fellow Alteans. My existence is not a myth as you have been led to believe. I fully assure you that I am the last Princess of Altea before our planet was destroyed ten thousand decaphoeebs ago. My father, King Alfor, built Voltron, the Defender of the Universe.”

The three of them had risen and were watching her words and actions in pure awe. “Today, I give you my word that we _will_ defeat the evil witch, Haggar and rescue all my people from her cruel clutches.”

Her words were enough for them to rejoice and cheer as though everything was going to work out fine in the end. But, Allura felt apprehensive about what might be in store for her. 


	4. The Black Paladin

Allura waited outside the Intensive Care Ward of the Garrison’s med bay, nervously tapping on the glass barrier that separated her and the patient currently being treated. Luka was her name, the Altean who piloted the Robeast that attacked Earth. Two phoeebs ago, Commander Holt and his team found the power source capsule at the bottom of the ocean. Allura wouldn’t say she was surprised to find an Altean inside. In fact, she had expected it. After all, Haggar sent the creature. _That vile monster has abducted my people for this exact purpose. To use them as the power core for her abominations._

The doctors in the med bay informed her that the girl was stable and expected to wake up any moment. But, Allura was anxious. Luka was the sole clue they had for tracking down Haggar’s whereabouts. If she didn’t make it, they were back to square one.

“She will wake up.” Allura jumped on hearing Romelle’s voice. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she forgot that Romelle was standing beside her. “Sorry, did I frighten you?”

“No, please go ahead. I was just preoccupied.”

“You know, back in the colony,” Romelle continued, training her eyes to the glass wall. “Luka and I didn’t always get along well. But despite that, I always respected Luka. She had an inner strength that many did not. I know she will pull through.” 

Allura clasped her hands in prayer. “She is the only one who could provide us some information about Haggar. Plus other than you and Coran, she is the only Altean with us right now. I do not wish anything happening to her as well.”

Romelle nodded thoughtfully. The topic of the lost Altean leaders lay heavy between them. It had been over seven phoeebs and they were yet to receive any news about them. _There is no hope for them after all this time. They are as good as dead._

Just then, Coran entered the room. “Princess, we’ve just received communication from Matt Holt and a few other Coalition members. They are requesting for a wormhole to reach Earth.”

Her face lit up in a smile. _Finally, some good news._ “I will be there within two doboshes.”

When Allura heard that Matt Holt and Captain Olia were accompanied by Merla, Tavo and Rian, along with Acxa, she felt like she had lost a wager. _Does this mean the three Alteans were safe all along? That Acxa was not a traitor as I believed and led everyone to believe? How am I going to face Keith now?_

She sighed unhappily. _Let’s worry about that later._ She was about to rush out to meet her people in her pink Garrison uniform itself. Coran stopped her and advised that she must look presentable before them for she was, after all, the last princess of Altea. “As I told you, Princess, 70 percent of diplomacy is appearance. You are their princess. They have to look up to you and respect you duly.”

However, now, standing before the Alteans who had knelt down in front of her, she didn’t feel worthy of their respect. They were gaping at her in awe, meeting the mythical Princess of Altea in flesh and blood for the first time. In her gown and her gold circlet around her forehead, she radiated power and dignity.

But she didn’t feel powerful at all. No, she felt guilty.

She realized how grossly she had misjudged Acxa and how many baseless accusations she had piled up on her over the time. After Keith woke up from his comatose state, Allura had apologized to him many times. And always, she finished her conversation by pointing out that neither Acxa nor the Alteans were back from the mission. That her stance of Acxa being a traitor had not altered in a bit. So much that Keith too had slowly begun to doubt Acxa and sway to her agreement.

She spotted Keith standing in one corner, his mother, Kolivan and Acxa by his side. He was wearing his red Garrison uniform, his arms folded over his chest and his face beaming with quiet exultation at Acxa’s return. _Is it just me or do I see a silent challenge in his eyes? An unspoken contempt towards me, perhaps?_

She shook her head. It was her guilt that was planting such ideas in her mind. Acxa was most likely oblivious to whatever had happened, for she offered Allura an uncertain smile and bowed her head to acknowledge her presence as one of the Royal Family.

Allura sighed deeply. _This is going to be one long quintant._

At 1500 vargas, Allura was called to the debriefing hall from her station outside Luka’s ward.

“We will inform you if there are any developments in her case, Princess,” Romelle promised. “Merla and Rian will also be joining me. We will keep a sharp eye on her every tick.”

Allura was quite hesitant about leaving, but she guessed the debriefing was as important as well.

Kolivan chaired the meeting at one head of the table. Krolia sat to his right, followed by Keith, Acxa, Tavo and Matt in that order. Sam Holt was seated at the other end of the table. The Paladins were to his right, starting with Pidge, Hunk and Lance and Coran.

She occupied her assigned seat between Coran and Kolivan and glanced across the table at Keith. He was wearing his Blade uniform instead of his Paladin armor, indicative of his decision to leave Voltron. _Is he really going to keep up this charade till the very end?_

Kolivan sat forward and interlaced his clawed fingers on the table. “Now that the Princess has also joined us, I think it is time to start the debriefing.”

Commander Holt spoke up right away. “I suppose what we must discuss urgently is the issue of Black Paladin. Keith, you are not really serious about leaving Voltron, are you?”

Everyone turned their eyes to him, hoping for a positive reply. But his answer was what Allura had expected. “I am leaving Voltron, Commander Holt. As I said the other day, I have no wish to lead someone who doesn’t trust me.”

Allura mentally rolled her eyes. _This guy is as stubborn as a wet klanmuirl._ “Keith, I have already apologized to you several times for my choice of words. You cannot leave Voltron because of some trivial argument we had. Particularly, not at a critical time like this.”

“The Princess is right,” Kolivan said. “We need _you_ to pilot the Black Lion, Keith. We have a lot of high stakes on you. If you leave, we can never achieve our missions.”

Keith frowned in confusion. “What stakes are you talking about?”

“We will get to that shortly. Princess, do you have anything else to add?”

She nodded and looked at Keith. “Keith, I am sincerely sorry for what I have done. I don’t know how else I am expected to atone for my mistakes. Perhaps, I should issue a formal apology stating the wrongs I have done to you?”

“Perhaps, you should. You know you owe that much--”

She was exasperated. “Keith, you--”

He cut her off calmly and placed his hand on Acxa’s arm. “Not to me, but to her.”

Acxa, who had been sitting in quiet discomfort since the debriefing began, sat up in her seat, perplexed. “What...what apology?”

Allura locked her eyes with Keith, trying to reason with him. _Keith, please. Not here. Not now. I promise I will tell her everything and apologize to her in private. Please don’t insult me in front of Tavo._

Keith raised a brow. _Yet, you had no problem insulting us in a packed briefing hall?_

_I said I am sorry. It was the slip of a moment I deeply regret._

Allura was not sure what might have been Keith’s reply, but Kolivan broke their silent stalemate. “Keith, whatever argument you might have with the Princess is to be resolved in private. It is unacceptable that Voltron be involved in your personal affairs.”

Judging from the guarded expressions on Kolivan’s and his mom’s faces, Keith naturally knew that some game was afoot. _The Blades must have been busy during the time I was in coma._ “Involving some...stakes, I guess?”

“Yes.” Kolivan curled his fingers around the handle of the Garrison coffee mug and swirled the liquid inside. “I suppose I have much explanation to do so that everyone in this hall may properly comprehend the situation.”

“We are all ears.”

He put his mug down. “Right, first of all, you must understand the reasons behind the outbreak of the war between the Galra and the Altean Empire that continues even after thousands of decaphoeebs.”

“Because Zarkon was greedy and coveted the Black Lion,” Coran answered. “He became a monster obsessed only with Quintessence and needed Voltron to pierce into the Quintessence field. He declared war on Altea in the hopes of snatching Voltron from our hands.”

“Yes, that explains why Zarkon declared war on Altea. But the actual reason why the Galran people turned their backs on their once friends and allies was due to the destruction of their home planet.”

“Planet Daibazaal.” Keith recalled the tale of origin of Voltron that Coran had narrated to them a long time ago. “King Alfor thought destroying the planet was the only way to destroy the inter-reality rift.”

“Exactly,” Kolivan hummed in agreement. “Zarkon manipulated the masses and led them to believe that King Alfor destroyed their planet for no reason and demanded that they join him for justified revenge.”

Allura scowled, “This is all very interesting but I fail to see your point.”

“Hmm, so currently, since they don’t have a ruler, the Galra troops are at fight amongst themselves to conquer territories and fight for the limited resources. Returning Daibazaal to the Galra is one way to stop their pointless battles. Otherwise, they will fight until the entire Galra race is wiped out from the Universe.”

“That’s impossible,” Keith retorted. “Daibazaal was destroyed thousands of years ago. How are we supposed to revive a dead planet so that people can start living on it again?”

His eyes swept over the group gathered in the briefing room. Nobody put forward any thoughts on the subject. Some of them were still trying to process what they had heard; others were not really bothered whether the Galra lived or perished.

Presently, Hunk suggested an idea. “Maybe, Allura can try. I mean, she has actually replenished the Quintessence of a Balmera the other day. So--”

“No, I am not allowing the Princess to take risks on this huge scale,” Coran interrupted him. “Reviving the Balmera was not something I approved Allura of doing. What had to be done was done that day. This...? No, she is certainly not going to sacrifice herself for some foolhardy plan like this.”

“And I am not asking you to.” Kolivan directed his pupil-less golden eyes at Coran. “What I wanted to say is that returning Daibazaal to the Galra citizens would have been the best ever plan to unify them. As you say, since its practical execution is close to impossible, we have formulated another plan. We offer the Black Lion to the Galra.”

For a moment, the whole room sank in a stunned silence at his words. Then, everyone simultaneously broke out into a cacophony of protests.

“Kolivan, there is no way I am going to give away the Black Lion to the Galra,” Allura snapped immediately. “I cannot entertain any second thoughts on that front.”

Lance nodded. “I agree with Allura. Wasn’t this Lotor’s plan in the beginning, as well? He convinced Shiro to take Black to the Kral Zera and became the Emperor of the Galra.”

“And, we all saw how well that turned out to be,” Hunk finished.

However, Keith was intrigued. _Kolivan does not suggest anything without strong insights into the problem._ “Kolivan, what exactly are you proposing?”

He took a long breath, probably recognizing that he was treading on thin ice. “What I am saying is that as much as Voltron is a symbol of freedom and unity for the rest of the Coalition, so could it be for the Galra as well. The Black Lion could be their representation in the Coalition, more so because it is being piloted by a Galra warrior, Keith. We can finally convince them to stop fighting against each other and join us for a common cause. To help us in our battle against the witch Haggar.”

Keith chewed on his lip. Four years ago, if anyone had told him that he was going to fly in a mechanical space lion, he would have laughed in their face. Added to that, the big reveal that his mom belonged to one of the warrior alien species from the opposite end of the Universe. Now, here he was being asked to represent the said species in an intergalactic league. _Is this really happening or am I just making up all this in my head? Perhaps, this is all a long dream and I will wake up back in my lonely desert shack._

As usual, Allura was full of misgivings. “You are saying that we include the Galra under the Voltron Coalition. Including all the war-mongering commanders and generals?”

Kolivan narrowed his eyes at her. “Princess, our intel shows that most of the active factions have already been destroyed, either by Voltron, other Galra warriors or Haggar’s druids. Those which remain are the relatively passive factions, grasping at straws to somehow try and survive in the present anarchy governed Universe.”

Keith was shocked at the news of the decimation of the once powerful Galra Empire. “So, what are the factions that remain?”

“The three biggest troops belong to Warlord Lahn, Commander Gnov and Warlord Morvok. And they are the ones who are most unwilling about forging an alliance with us. They demand to meet with the Paladins of Voltron before giving an answer. Especially, you, Keith.”

Keith felt unnerved. A feeling of trepidation filled in his heart, the kind which haunts you on the first day of a new school. _What do the Galra warlords want with me?_

“Oh, Warlord Lahn...?” Hunk chimed in, happily. “Isn’t he the one from Omega Shield?”

“You know him?”

“Yeah, he is my friend. We worked together to fix the Omega Shield and save their planet. A Galra occupied planet, no less. We saved it.”

Kolivan and Krolia exchanged a quick look. “That is good news. Lahn was one of the few Galra soldiers who had pledged loyalty to Lotor under his rule. And, effectively to the Coalition for you were working with him at the time. He didn’t speak of Voltron in a good light, though. He blamed you for leaving him defenseless for three decaphoeebs. Perhaps, meeting you will remind him of your...um, friendship.”

“Oh.” Hunk didn’t look happy anymore. 

“Well, that doesn’t matter, anyways.” Kolivan turned to Keith. “Keith, you must understand that you are the bridge between the Blades, Voltron and the Galra Empire. The Galra citizens do not trust us as we are the mutinous rebels according to them. Neither do they trust the Coalition. They think, and if I may say, with reason, that it is mainly formed to wipe out their existence. But if you try, you can change this situation.”

Keith stared down at his fingers. “And, why do you think they will trust me?” _I can’t even trust myself._

His mom gently patted his shoulder. “Keith, don’t fret too much about this. You will not be alone in these negotiations. All of us will be right there with you. Kolivan, let him ponder over the issue for some time. We must not pressure him into doing things.”

“Of course, of course,” he agreed quickly. “All I want to say is that you are the key to the future of the Galra Empire. The reason why you cannot and should not leave Voltron.”

Keith felt his pulse racing. _Future of the Galra Empire? Me?_

Thankfully, Kolivan didn’t wait for an answer from him. He simply moved on. “Acxa, could you share the details from your mission to Oriande?”


	5. Temple of Mysteries

Keith felt like Acxa had placed a ticking nuclear bomb in the middle of the conference room. Now, he was waiting for it to explode. _If nuclear bombs come in the form of alien princesses._ Of course, he had expected the effect her story would have on the audience. Everyone was sitting with their jaws on the floor as her story advanced. However, Allura had worked herself into a rage.

As soon as she had finished recounting her cosmic adventures, Allura glared at him. “Keith, you knew about this, didn’t you?”

He tried to feign confusion. “About what?”

“That Haggar is at Oriande. From the beginning, you knew this, didn’t you?”

He sighed internally. _Here goes nothing._ “Allura, it was mere surmise. The Blades had searched all over the Universe for her, except at Oriande. When Acxa told me that she had once taken Haggar there, we guessed she might have hid herself there for the past three years. We had our suspicions but no solid proof...”

“I have been going around on a carousel for the past seven phoeebs, trying to scrape even the barest intel on the witch’s location. And here you had this huge surmise, yet you said nothing?!”

_I was lying comatose in the med bay for the past five months._ But Keith didn’t say that out loud. “Allura, I--”

Allura cut him off before he could continue. “You didn’t tell me...you didn’t tell Coran. You didn’t even discuss this with Lance, Pidge or Hunk. Why? Since you are the leader of Voltron, you decided to call the shots all by yourself?”

Thankfully, Kolivan came to his support. “Princess, the timing was not right. If you remember, planet Earth was under attack by the Fire of Purification. Voltron had the first priority of defending Earth. The Blades undertook missions on Voltron’s behalf to find out more about Haggar. We do what we can as a part of the Voltron Coalition.” _In other words, if we had imparted this information to you beforehand, you would have insisted on facing Haggar right away._ Keith had no doubt that given the choice between rescuing Earth or the Alteans, Allura would probably choose the latter.

“What you say is perfectly true, Kolivan,” she answered, her voice laced with anger. Her teal eyes darted between him and Keith. “But I am speaking of the time after the battle. The seven phoeebs _after_ the battle was over. If you had provided us this intel then, we could have taken Voltron and attacked Oriande. We did not have to wait until Acxa’s return.”

Pidge coughed softly into her fist. “Princess, we couldn’t have done that. Keith—he was sick...in coma. We cannot form Voltron without the Black Lion.”

She must have realized her mistake for she became quiet. But seeing her eyes dance with a wild almost mad passion, Keith suddenly realized what she was thinking. “You could have done that, you know.”

“Do what?”

“Found a new Paladin for the Black Lion.” She blinked in late understanding that he had read her thoughts. “In fact, I had _asked_ you to do so.”

She closed her eyes as if trying to calm herself. “You are right. I should have done at least that, instead of sitting du-flax on Earth. It cannot be helped now.” She drew a frustrated breath. “Let’s move on. Acxa, how did Haggar discover Oriande? I am sure nobody even thought of it as a real place until Lotor and I figured out its whereabouts.”

“Yes, you are right.” Acxa shot a quick glance at him before continuing. “I suppose Haggar already had the knowledge of Oriande being a real place. She mentioned that she had been searching for it her entire life. After the two of you found its coordinates, she learnt of it as well. For, she had been spying on you the entire time through the clone of the former Black Paladin.”

“Shiro.” The name hung ominously in the air as everybody gasped in shock on the revelation. Keith remembered being utterly stunned the first time when Acxa had given him this intel. It was the first day they actually had a conversation after years of shooting dagger eyes at each other. The day she risked her life to rescue him from her former colleagues. The day they had a heart-to-heart on the dusty planet, under the starry night sky and in the cool breeze. Keith had the day engraved in his memory so well that it might have been yesterday.

Acxa had told him that not only was Shiro killed and replaced by a clone, but that Haggar had been using it as her personal looking glass to spy upon the Paladins. How Haggar achieved this feat, Acxa never knew.

“That is how Haggar discovered Oriande,” Acxa continued. “And, that is how she discovered the Altean colony as well. It is most unfortunate." 

Allura nodded her head slowly. “If this is true, I can only imagine what other secrets of ours Haggar might know. This is all my fault. I should have examined the clone properly before believing he was our Shiro.”

Her anger seemed to have been replaced by more or less a helpless frustration that Keith couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. He tried to console her. “Allura, how is this your fault? I am the one closest to Shiro. Even I didn’t find anything amiss with him when we found him again. I wholeheartedly believed that he was our Shiro.”

But that was a lie. After their showdown with Lotor’s generals at the Ullipa system, his instincts had started to question about the newly returned Shiro. The way he grew impatient with whatever Keith did, the way he yelled at him to make a decision, the way he shot down each of his ideas. _My brother Shiro would never lose his temper however I might torture him. He had the patience of a saint._ Later on, the clone apologized to him for what had happened and Keith dropped the matter.

But his attitude never changed. All through the following months, Keith struggled from self doubt about being the leader of Voltron due to the clone’s constant rebuke, culminating in his leaving the team and stepping down from his spot for him. Never once did he raise his suspicions about the clone’s behavior to anyone in the team. _That was my mistake. I should have shared my suspicions with someone. But with whom? Who was ready to listen to me anyways?_

He was shaken from his thoughts when Coran asked, pulling thoughtfully at his moustache as usual. “If Haggar went to Oriande...does that mean she had the Mark of the Chosen as well? That she too gained the knowledge that Allura got from the Temple of Alchemists?”

Acxa shook her head. _She doesn’t know._ “I didn’t enter the place. I was guarding the cruiser after she left. Something about only worthy Alteans can enter? All I know is that she remembered her past as the alchemist Honerva when she returned from there. She revealed herself as Lotor’s mother after Shiro brought him to her.”

“So, Haggar is the alter-ego of Honerva?” Allura rubbed her temple with her fingers. “The famed alchemist of Altea who studied the rift in Daibazaal. Wife of Zarkon and mother of...Lotor. She is indeed alive after all this time?”

“You already knew this?” Keith inquired.

She hesitated for a long moment before answering. “Lotor told me that his mother was Honerva. I had put forth my suspicion to him that she might have transformed into the witch due to overexposure to Quintessence just like Zarkon did. He refused to accept it and so, I too left the matter there. However, I find now that I was actually correct.”

“My assumption is that Lotor was well aware of what you suspected,” Acxa answered carefully. “He did not want to accept that both his parents were involved in monstrous acts. I think he wanted to believe that his Galran blood was evil, but his mother’s Altean side was, in his own words, ‘pure and beautiful’.” 

A silence spread over the room at Acxa’s words. She continued, “That must be the reason why he wanted to get rid of the Galra, or the evil side in him as per his notion, and establish an Altean Empire.”

Keith’s blood itched to protest against the unfairness. _Why should it always be the Galra side that is evil? Why couldn’t it be his Altean blood that made him do bad deeds? Why could it not be that the grand villain in this whole tragedy is not the Galra Emperor Zarkon as we were all led to believe but the Altean alchemist, Honerva, who had disguised herself into the witch Haggar? After all, the Komar was her brainchild._

“If Lotor’s intention was to establish an Altean Empire, why did he kill countless Alteans and draw out their Quintessence?”

Nobody had an answer to Allura’s question.

“Now, your finding is that Oriande has... _disappeared_?”

Acxa could sense the underlying disbelief and possible contempt in the Princess’ voice. She tried to ignore her reaction and answer the question as nonchalantly as she could. “ _Disappeared_...I say for the lack of a better word. Our findings are that the planet is situated very much in the same coordinates as before. Our star-charts also are in alignment in this regard. To sum up, I should probably say that the planet is somehow _cloaked_ out of sight.”

“Also considering the fact that you spotted the Robeast that attacked Earth in that very zone?” Keith mused. “I think you are right. The witch must have somehow cloaked the planet.”

Kolivan sat forward decisively. “Then, we should consult with Slav. His area of expertise lies in the field of gravity generation and space-time folding. Perhaps, he can find a way for us to enter the place.”

The Yellow Paladin, Hunk seemed genuinely excited by this news. “Ooooh, the space taco! It had left us too soon.”

Acxa didn’t know what a space taco was. From what she had heard about Hunk, his favorite topic of conversation was either something about food or mechanical engineering. “Possibly,” she said, hoping taco was related to the latter.

On the other hand, she had heard a lot about the reclusive, genius but slightly unhinged engineer, Slav, whose ideas were brutally drilled out of his brain for the use of the Galra Empire till his rescue from the prison at Beta Traz by the Paladins. “But, I wonder...? Technology is not really the witch’s niche. All her experiments belong to the field of alchemy and magic in which she is adept.”

Surprisingly, the Princess nodded. “I agree with Acxa. It has to be something to do with magic. But what...? How did she hide the planet in plain view?”

“Added to that, the Robeast escaped through a wormhole.”

“Yes, we had picked up teludav energy signatures in the zone.”

“Then, teludav—wormhole must be how the beast travelled across the Universe and reached the fringes of the Milky Way galaxy. Honerva must have gained the abilities to open up--” Keith frowned as if he suddenly remembered unpleasant. “Wait, _signatures_?”

_Did I say something wrong?_ “What is it, Keith?”

“Acxa, wait.” He turned to her, his eyes wide in horror. “I have been following up on things without the timestamp. How long did it take for you to reach Oriande? You said you could manage only one hyperspace jump with your ship.”

“Yes, that is correct.” Acxa thought for a moment. “I suppose it would be close to three movements from the time of our departure from the Blade Headquarters. Why?”

“Then, that would mean...oh, no!” He raked his fingers through the bangs that covered his eyes. “That means the Robeast that attacked you was _not_ the one that attacked Earth!”

The room fell silent as the full meaning of what he said sank in. _Honerva has been sending out several Robeasts?!_

Immediately, the room broke out into complete mayhem. Acxa could not keep track of who said what.

“That means Haggar has sent Robeasts to other planets as well?”

“But why? What is she sending them for?”

“To draw out the Quintessence of the planet like the Komar?”

“She must be using my people as the energy source for her creatures. That vile monster!” _Princess Allura._

“What do we do now? How would we know what are the planets she has attacked? There are hundred thousand galaxies and billions and billions of planets. Where do we start hunting for these beasts?”

“Keith, what do we do?!”

Acxa hid her smile. She had not really understood why Keith asked the Princess to apologize to her. And also, why he asked her to find a new Paladin for the Black Lion when he was present. But the fact that at the end of the chaos, everyone automatically looked up to him for the final decision, amused her. She could see that he was as terrified as the others, even though he was doing a good job of hiding his emotions beneath his usual brooding face.

“Guys, let’s prioritize. There is no point in panicking right now. We must do what we can do.” He took a deep breath. “It is impossible to search each and every planet for signs of Honerva’s Robeasts. It would be a Herculean task, so no. That is out of our scope.”

Everyone hummed and nodded in agreement, except for Matt. “I think I know one place which might have come under the attack of one of such Robeasts.”

“Oh, really? Where?”

“Olkarion. Captain Olia and I have been trying for phoeebs, uh, months now to contact them, but no luck. It was like all of a sudden, they just vanished. No calls, no messages, no intel, nothing.”

The hall broke out into another bout of rapid chattering. Pidge started to demand loudly that they go to Olkarion right now. Keith was sitting in mild discomfort. He had once told her: _Pidge isn’t always as cute and innocent as she appears. She can be pretty stubborn at times. If she demands something, she will get it done at any costs._

It was Princess Allura who calmed her down. “Pidge, I promise we will check on Olkarion. But at present, I think the only way to stop more Robeasts from attacking other planets is to go to Oriande and face Honerva directly. Once we defeat her, the Universe can finally be in peace.”

Keith shook his head. “If my instincts are right, she may have tens of her Robeasts guarding Oriande. Voltron would not be able to take down all of them at a time. We saw how well the battle with one Robeast went down for us.”

“So, what do you suggest?”

“I say we bolster our fighting forces before we meet Honerva head-on. And the best warriors in the Universe are the Galra. Let’s go to the Galran assembly and try to form an alliance with the troops as per Kolivan’s proposition.”

Everyone turned to stare at Keith. Princess Allura raised her brows in surprise. “And what makes you think...you think the Galra are going to fight for us?”

“No, they are going to fight _with_ us,” Keith replied calmly. “They will cover for us from her creatures while we face Honerva at Oriande.”

So, the basic plan was sketched. Pidge was to work with Coran, Slav and Commander Holt and achieve some breakthrough on how they could uncloak Oriande and pave a way for them to enter. Matt and the other Coalition leaders would unite the member planets for the final battle against Honerva and her Robeasts.

In the meantime, the Paladins and the Blades would travel to planet Ryker to meet up and discuss the course of action with the Galra troops in a bid to unify them and seek their help against the witch. All was great, except for Allura’s constant distrust about the Galra joining forces with them.

“I do not like this, Keith,” she warned. “The Galra are not to be trusted. They are sure to double cross and betray us at a crucial time. I would feel better not counting on them for any sort of help.”

Keith was teetering on the edge of complete exasperation. “Allura, how many ever times we prove it to you that we are trustworthy, I think you will stick to your age-old prejudices. You said the same about Acxa. Did she betray you?”

“You were right about Acxa, but the other Galra--”

“Let’s give them a chance to prove themselves. True, they have terrorized the Universe for centuries, but you must also consider the fact that they were following the direct commands of Zarkon. Maybe, the citizens of the Galra Empire were as much in the fear of their evil Emperor and his High Priestess as the other beings of the Universe.”

“I have to agree with Keith,” said a voice Keith had never imagined would come to his support. Tavo, who had been silently observing their discussion so far, cleared his throat. “I know this may not be my place to speak, my Princess, but I feel compelled to voice my opinion in this briefing as well. With your permission?”

Allura had an excellent pokerface. “Go ahead.”

He bowed slightly. “Princess, I know you must be hurting from the raw pain of losing our planet, your father and all our people at the hands of the Galra. But as Keith says, it was Zarkon who had waged a war against us. Perhaps, the citizens of the Empire were actually forced to be in the futile and never-ending war.”

Keith felt her resolve slowly breaking after one of her own subjects was supporting the Galra. “Tavo, you cannot possibly mean...what you say?”

He sighed deeply. “You know, till I met Acxa, my opinion about the Galra was the same as yours. That they are all bloodthirsty, treacherous and cruel. However, Acxa has saved our lives so many times now that I really don’t know how we are supposed to repay our life debts.”

Keith bit back a smirk. _Same problem here, dude._ His mind fell back to the time in the Weblum, when he had blamed her to be ‘just like the rest of them’. _Just like the rest of the Galra._ He realized how wrong and meaningless his statement had been.

“After our people got abducted by Honerva, it was again with the Galra that we found a new home. With the Blades. I have come to trust them, Princess. I have come to realize that they are fiercely protective of their team. Acxa even swore a...what-promise-was-that on her weapon to free us.”

Acxa smiled nervously. “I thank you, Tavo. But you did not have to mention that.”

“You took a blood oath on your weapon?” His mom asked incredulously. “Don’t tell me that it was on your Blade.”

One look at her face and Keith knew it was so. “Mom, what is that? A blood oath?”

“When a Galra warrior stakes their life or honor for a dangerous promise...for a Marmoran agent, their blade represents both so the disgrace of a broken blood oath is worse than death itself.” Krolia winced in sympathy. “Acxa, I hope you know the consequences of a promise broken on your blade?”

She swallowed hard. “I knew it is dangerous, Krolia but under the circumstances, I had no choice.”

“Well, if the oath is broken on your blade, one of two things can happen. Either you cannot use it when you need it the most or you die at the hands of that weapon.” _What the actual quiznack?!_ “Do you have your blade with you?”

“I lost it.”

Even, the leader of the Blade of Marmora raised his brow at her cool answer. “The girl is a real enigma, Krolia. She brings out the rarest of our Marmoran traditions.”

“She joined the Blades after Sulan bequeathed his blade to her.”

“Exactly, and the blood oath and this. Reminds me of the time you had claimed that you lost your blade.”

“I did not,” Krolia protested. “I had given it to his father.”

Kolivan shrugged in a _whatever-you-say_ manner. “So, what promise did you make?”

The two senior Blades waited for her explanation, but she carefully avoided their eyes. Keith made an urgent mental note to ask her later about whatever blunder she had committed.

Finally, everyone turned to Allura for her answer. Even, she seemed appalled by what Acxa had done to protect her people.

She opened her mouth to answer when the door flew open and Rian rushed in. “Oh, I am sorry. It’s just that—Tavo, Princess, it is Luka! You need to come and take a look at her.”


	6. Temptations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since we didn't have a Kacxa date in the 'Launch Date' episode in canon or my version, here you go! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter! Happy reading!! :)

Luka was dead.

Or so, the Garrison officials informed Allura. Commander Iverson stood outside the ward in his full hazmat suit and in an agitated conversation with Merla and Romelle.

“Princess Allura,” he spoke up as soon as he saw her. “I am sorry. We couldn’t save the Altean pilot.”

Allura was beside herself with grief. “What happened? You said her condition was stabilizing.”

He nodded solemnly. “Yes, she even opened her eyes and became aware of her surroundings. We were asking her a few basic questions when she was overcome with violent convulsions and her vitals instantly dropped to naught. We are yet to find out what exactly had happened in those twenty-three seconds of her last consciousness.”

Allura was not ready to give up on her. “I wish to see her before we arrive at any conclusions.”

“As you wish, Princess.”

The Garrison medics stepped away from the bed on perceiving her presence. The console emitted a long steady hum, indicating the passing of the patient. She placed her palm over the Altean’s chest and closed her eyes, her own quintessence flowing from her heart to the tips of her fingers before moving into Luka’s body. A blue aura enveloped both of them. But then, a sudden strange sensation jolted through her. _A sensation of something...revolting against the entry of this life energy?_

“I feel something,” Allura murmured to no one in particular.

She concentrated harder, letting her senses dig deep into her core and pulled out a pulsating blob of dark energy from her mouth. A shiver went through Luka and the console started beeping again. _Yes!_

However, Allura had no idea what to make of the scarlet hued blob suspended in front of her. “Commander Iverson, we need a containment unit for the foreign object I extracted from Luka’s body.”

“Copy that.”

All of a sudden, the blob sprang to life. With a loud shriek, it escaped out of her hands. Allura fell down to the ground with a loud gasp. The blob seemed to be searching for a way out for it kept banging itself on the unbreakable glass walls of the ward.

Commander Iverson immediately called for backup. “Evacuation measures! Get them out of there.”

Allura ran out of the ward, followed by two medics who wheeled Luka out along with them. “Reverse the magnetic polarity once the room is cleared.” Commander Iverson continued giving orders to the on-call team. “The impulse prism might stabilize the foreign object.”

Finally, the blob was confined in the room. But Allura was uneasy. She could hear voices in her head that demanded her to free them, to give in to them and to join them. _Whose voices am I hearing?_

Since Allura and Tavo didn’t return even after fifteen minutes, Commander Holt decided to adjourn the meeting. “Let’s go through the checklist one last time before we launch tomorrow. Veronica?”

“We’ve confirmed there is no Galra activity within several galaxies of the Milky Way,” Veronica replied. “It appears Earth was Sendak’s only target.”

“Where are we with Earth’s defenses?”

Pidge nodded confidently. “I’ve finished my check-in with the Garrison facilities all over the globe. All the defenses are up and running. Earth has everything in place to keep itself safe.”

“Great. And Atlas preparations?”

“Repairs to the IGF Atlas were completed early last week and it has since passed every test protocol we’ve put it through.”

“Good. I have one more item to discuss. It’s our last night on Earth and we’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us. We may not be back home for years. So, I am ordering you...” Commander Holt spread his arms as if to include everyone in a group hug. “Take some time for yourselves. Be with the ones you love. You have earned it.”

Keith smiled to himself. _The last night on Earth...how should I spend it? Perhaps, a visit to the sunset viewpoint with Mom and Kosmo?_

The on-call team had carefully transferred the blob to a strong containment unit. Though its movements were effectively brought under control, it still seemed to be searching for an escape route. More unsettling was the fact that the object was actually alive and speaking in her mind. Commander Iverson was inspecting the safety measures in case of rupture when Sam Holt joined Allura.

“This optronic vacuum casing was designed to contain diseases, but it should suffice until we find a more permanent solution.”

“Thank you, Sam.” Allura raised her hand to touch the surface beyond which lay the dark energy, calling out to her for help. “That thing, it was as if it was communicating with me. Whatever this is, it might be how Honerva connects to the Alteans.”

Sam grabbed her hand before she could touch the glass. “Perhaps, you should get some rest. It’s best if everyone stays away from this until we learn more about...”

His voice drowned out. All of a sudden, Allura found herself in the infinite void where light, sound, space, time—nothing held any substance. She opened her mouth to cry out for help when the scene dissolved. “Allura?”

She was terrified, but she tried to keep it out of her voice. “You are right. Best to stay away.”

So, it was just him and Kosmo. Initially, he was about to insist Krolia in accompanying him to his favorite place on Earth. But she looked so tired after the long day that he swallowed his plans and advised her to get some rest.

Strangely, Keith didn’t feel tired or sleepy. After a long warm bath, he was more than ready to have a nightlong one-sided conversation on all kinds of trifling topics. “You ready for this, buddy?”

Kosmo whined softly, which could either be a _Yeah!_ or more likely an _Aww, man!_ For every time, he got into one of his rare talkative moods, it was always his wolf that fell victim to it and had to suffer in silence.

The view from top of the hill was amazing. The final rays of the setting sun splashed the sky with warm red and gold. The fine wisps of cirrus clouds, the little flocks of birds returning to their roosts and the desert sand glittering in the fading sunlight all added to the absolute beauty served to the eyes.

However, that evening, he realized what this almost exquisitely perfect scenery had been missing all this while.

Acxa sat there, her knees drawn to her chest and a smile playing on her lips, melancholic and tranquil in equal parts. She seemed so preoccupied in her thoughts that he decided not to disturb her and quietly turned to leave. But her pointy ears pricked at the slightest crunch of his boots on the sand and he knew he was caught.

He offered a nervous smile when her almond eyes turned to him. “Guess the two of us have the same idea of having fun.”

Allura stared at the juniberry flower atop her table. It was the most beautiful flower of ancient Altea, the flower of life and joy. _The purest of all flowers, just like the people of Altea._

She was still reeling from the shock of the revelation. Haggar was indeed the alter-ego of Honerva. _The_ Honerva, who was the best alchemist of Altea, her father’s good friend whom he trusted enough to invite for his research of the inter-reality rift, _the_ Honerva who was presumed dead due to overexposure to Quintessence. _How can this be true? How can an Altean scientist transform into the evil witch Haggar?_

From the beginning, she had always maintained that the Galra are the vilest of all creatures in the Universe. Alteans are the life givers. They are the purest beings. There was no way an Altean could become so cruel. She decided that there must be more to this than what she heard from Acxa. _After her marriage to Zarkon, did the Galra do something to Honerva as they did to Shiro?_

She was interrupted from her thoughts by a knock on the door. “Come in.”

Lance stepped inside the room, looking red in the face. “Hey, Allura!”

She was confused. “Lance, what are you doing here?”

“I just...uh, I came to see if you are okay.”

She nodded her head absentmindedly. “I am good, just tired. Especially after what happened with Luka. I need to rest.”

“Yeah, I will get going then.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I just came to see you, considering this is our last night on Earth and all.”

He paused as if for an answer. As she didn’t reply, he turned to leave when his eyes fell on the small flowerpot with the juniberry. “Allura, it is a beautiful flower. Where did you get it?”

“Colleen gave it to me,” she said, gently touching the petals of the flower. “It is a real juniberry flower. I assumed they had gone extinct.”

A voice echoed in the room not from Lance, but from the one man she had thought she would never hear from again. “You should know better than anyone, nothing ever truly goes extinct.” _No! NO! It can’t be!_

Her eyes darted all over the walls. Except for Lance and herself, there was no one else. Was she hallucinating?

“Allura?” It was Lance. He looked genuinely concerned. “Allura, are you okay?”

“Yes,” she gasped breathlessly. A thin bead of sweat dropped from her forehead on to her lap. “Yes, I will be fine. As I said, I need some rest.”

Keith stepped forward on the precarious cliff to join the fierce warrior he had fallen in love with. “I didn’t think anyone would find me here.”

He smiled at her words. “I suppose people who crave a lot of alone time end up at one place. This is my daily evening hangout, you can say. I didn’t imagine that you too would find it.” He inhaled deeply in the desert breeze, a smell which felt like home to him. “Since you are here before me, I will leave if you wish to be alone.”

She grabbed his wrist before he could go. “No, please stay. I am most grateful for the company. Perhaps, you can bring me up-to-date with all that occurred since I left you at the ruins of the planet under Macidus.”

And so, they sat down on the thin ledge of the hill, legs dangling over like kids on a swing and talked and talked till the sun went down and the moon reached its zenith. It was easy for Acxa to listen to him speak, but only Keith knew his internal struggles. He had to make every effort not to lose track of what he was saying when the most beautiful of all the girls he had ever met was sitting right next to him, at a kissable distance. _Of course, I was not thinking of doing so._

As he narrated the incidents, he might have, knowingly or otherwise, exaggerated his heroic feats. If Acxa was smart, she should have guessed that he was only trying to show off to her as guys usually did. _I almost pulled a Lance that evening._

Apparently, Acxa was not that bright in the romance department. She listened to whatever he said with rapt attention and believed every word at face value. “And that brings us to today’s briefing. You saw what happened today.”

By the time he finished his story, his wolf had curled up into a huge ball of fur and was snoring his night away. Keith rolled his eyes. _Who am I kidding?_

Allura pulled her blanket till her chin, hoping it had some special powers to keep her safe from the dangerous spirits lurking around her. _It was not Lotor. It cannot be. He is dead. We left him in the Quintessence field._ She closed her eyes and lay back on the pillow, waiting for sleep to carry her into its strange realm like every other night.

But tonight had other plans in store for her. Just as she had fallen into a light slumber, she felt a shadow pass over her. _Someone is standing near the juniberry flowerpot._ She cracked open her eye to see the man himself, in flesh and blood, in his regular indigo and orange armor. Just the way she remembered him.

Lotor smiled thinly at her. “It’s good to see you again, Princess.”

She gulped internally and sat up on the bed. _Is this a ghost? Is this a hallucination? What is happening to me?! This is not real. It can’t be._ “How...? How did you get in here?”

“You know,” Lotor continued unimpressed. “The ancients believed that all of life began with a single juniberry flower.”

Allura could take it no longer. She summoned her Bayard and lashed out at him. To her shock, her whip passed cleanly through Lotor.

“I thought you would be happy to see me,” said he. 

“What are you doing here? I demand to know!”

Lotor smiled again. _The smile I had somehow found endearing once feels like a cruel sneer now._ “You and I desire the same thing. We both seek to destroy Haggar.”

“Haggar? Haggar is no longer. She is Honerva now.”

“True,” Lotor agreed. He waved his hand at the flower. “I could rename this a highlands poppy, you and I would still know what it truly is. The witch may change her name but she will always be a witch. You seek knowledge about her? I can show you the way.”

Allura wanted to say that any knowledge received from him was not welcome, but her mouth had a mind of its own. The next word that came from her lips was almost involuntary.

“How?”

_You would probably think that a cosmic teleporting wolf is so much fun to have around for it can take you anywhere within a radius of some twenty miles, in a matter of a few seconds. Unfortunately, these animals have a bad habit of taking long naps anywhere._

Keith was facing the same problem tonight. He tried to shake his wolf awake, but to no avail. He always slept like a log. Finally, he had no choice but to carry him back to the Garrison. Thankfully, it was only a ten minute walk although it didn’t help that Acxa was trying hard to keep herself from breaking out into giggles. He cursed internally. _My stars are so badly aligned today._ “Shall I help you?”

“Ah, no. Thanks but I don’t think it is necessary. I will manage.” 

_Manage, eh? Two minutes in, and I am already out of breath._ Kosmo was definitely heavier than seven months ago. No doubt, he had been keeping himself well-fed by making gooey eyes at all the Garrison officials.

He sighed deeply. _I sure hope I will get back to the Garrison without making a fool of myself again._

Allura was standing before the containment unit inside which floated the blob of dark energy she had extracted from Luka’s body.

She jumped when she heard Lotor’s voice behind her. “It is an ancient form of energy that predates time itself. It hails from the Quintessence Field. Entities like this gave Haggar the ability to conquer worlds and control the universe for 10,000 years.”

Wordlessly, Allura raised her hand to touch the glass barrier between her and the entity. “She recognizes the strength it provides her, and she uses it.” Lotor lowered his voice to a whisper. “If you can become one with the entity, then the powers you gain can defeat the witch. Go ahead, Allura, free it.”

She touched the glass and immediately, a hundred thoughts rushed through her mind. _Why should you let a Galra be your leader? Why should you let a Galra pilot the Black Lion? Voltron has always belonged to Altea, to the Alteans. Look at you, reduced to nothing but the Paladin of the Blue Lion. Think about the Red Lion? Your father, King Alfor, was the Red Paladin. You didn’t get to pilot the Red Lion either. You deserve so much better than this, Allura. Join us. Come home to Altea._

She recoiled in horror. Those thoughts were not hers, were they? She had never been bitter about being in the Blue Lion. In fact, she was proud to be one leg of the Voltron. Or, so she believed. “No, I can’t. I won’t. None of this is real.”

Lotor laid a hand on her shoulder. “It won’t do you any harm, Allura. The entity will help you. Everything you need...the knowledge you've been seeking is within your grasp. Take it.”

Either by his coaxing or her own free will, she concentrated on the entity again. Instantly, she was transported to a new vision.

She was back in Altea. The Altea as she remembered it. The green grass was covered in juniberry flowers.

“Allura!” _Mother?_

It was indeed Queen Melenor standing in front of her. “Mother!”

“I am so happy you're here,” her mother said. “You have arrived just in time.”

Allura couldn't understand. “Just in time? For what?”

“To save us. Only you can protect us.”

Out of nowhere, a large fleet of Galra cruisers appeared in the sky. Allura felt helpless. _I need to protect my people._

Suddenly, she was in the pilot seat of a white mech, wearing a body suit similar to Luka’s. The white mech sank its scythe into the ground to draw out the Quintessence. Then, the chest portal on the mech opened to fire a large column of purple energy at the fleet. One shot was enough to decimate the entire Galra fleet. Allura grinned broadly at her victory. She turned her mech around to shoot at another fleet some distance away.

She didn’t look back. Had she done that, she would have seen her mother petrified in stone and blown away into a thousand shards, along with the planet.

Allura found herself back in the hazmat room. She heard her mother’s voice in her head. “Only you can save us all. Release the entity. Come home to Altea.”

She took a deep breath. _I hope this is the correct thing to do, Mother._ She placed her palm on the scanner to open the casing. At once, the blob rushed out, right into her heart. A series of visions passed through her mind. Lotor piloting the Sincline in the Quintessence field, Voltron getting wiped away along with planets and stars, Honerva in full armor and a headgear that revealed her ever concealed face.

Then, darkness engulfed her.

“I suppose this is where we part for the night.”

They had come to a stop before the Garrison entry gate. He wanted to chat longer with her, but sleep was important too. After all, tomorrow was the big launch day and he had to be in full health for the meeting with the Galra warlords.

“You will do well, Keith,” Acxa said, probably reading his thoughts. “Don’t worry. I, for one, trust that you will do the right thing.”

Keith gently placed his wolf on the ground, trying not to shake him awake. “Hmm, thanks. It’s just that I don’t understand how Kolivan thinks that those Galra warlords are gonna trust me.”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “I _did_ trust you the first time we met. I trusted you enough to fight by your side.”

“Though you did try to kill me in our next encounter.”

She laughed lightly. With a start, Keith realized that it was the first time he was hearing her laugh. _Wow, it is so beautiful._ “I had no choice. You ran at me with your sword.”

“And I failed your mission, I suppose.”

“Yes, I had to hear a mouthful from Lotor.”

“Sorry about that,” he said though he didn’t sound so apologetic.

He was distracted when she chewed on her bottom lip. It seemed as though she was nervous about what she was going to say next. “Keith, I have always respected you as a warrior, or rather as _the_ warrior who saved my life. Later on, seeing the way you led the Paladins into battle with Lotor, I grew to admire you as a leader as well. But now, I am not sure...”

_Great! Yet another soul who thinks I am not good enough to pilot the Black Lion._ “I suppose you think I am not a very good leader. Actually, I never wanted to be the leader myself. The Black Lion chose me against my will. Now that Shiro is gone, I am trying to fill in the void left by him.”

She raised her brows in surprise. “Of course, and you didn’t even hear me out fully. I was speaking not about you. I was speaking about me.”

His anger gave way to confusion. _What is she saying?_ “I don’t understand.”

She stared at her hands for a long beat before answering. His instincts flared up at the pause in the conversation. _What is happening to me? Why am I feeling so jittery?_ He felt his heart tying a tightrope between his two lungs.

Finally, she raised her eyes to his, an uncertain vulnerability reflected in those gorgeous pair of indigo. “What I mean to say is that now, I am not quite sure whether I still admire you as a warrior, as a leader or...”

“Or...?” His heart stepped out on the tightrope, carefully balancing itself with a long stick.

“Or as a man.”

His heart tripped and dropped into his stomach. _She admires me as a...man?_ He suddenly remembered his mother's words. _Keith, you asked me how your dad loved me in spite of my Galra lineage? It was because he valued me as a woman first before seeing the warrior in me. He loved me for the woman that I am._

Acxa was searching his face for an answer. His brain unfortunately had gone into emergency hibernation for him to even process what she just said. Presently, she sighed deeply as if a difficult ordeal was over. “Well, good night. You need your rest before the launch tomorrow.”

And she walked in, leaving him there with his mouth hanging open at her words. After five long minutes, when his brain started to work again and he found his voice back, he started to shout at the gate. “You can’t just drop a bomb like this, say good night and walk away. This isn’t fair. What do you mean? Admire me as a man?”

“Why are you making so much noise in the middle of the night?” His wolf whimpered in agreement, now awake and disoriented. 

He heard footfalls coming up behind him. “You admire someone as a man?”

He turned around to see Lance and Hunk, confused looks across their faces. “Wow, are you coming out on our last day on Earth?”

“Not me. Someone admires...Ah, never mind.”

He pressed his lips together to stop his grin from spreading all over his face. _She likes me? Oh my gosh, did she just confess her feelings to me?!_

And all he had done was to stare at her like a buffoon. He winced ruefully, “I am pathetic, guys.”

“Tell us something we don’t know.”


	7. Three Broken Threads, Part - I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title I was inspired (stealing but with due credits to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) from Sherlock Holmes' Hound of Baskervilles (Coz I am a nerd that way, lol) Hint: One broken thread is in this chapter, two others in the next. 
> 
> Plus, one very interesting plot twist I can bet you never saw coming. These two chapters are kind of like the culmination of all that has been developed right from the Revelations, Part - II of 'The Last Stand' and esp. in the last three chapters. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you like what you are reading and do let me know in the comments what you think of the story so far. Happy reading!! :)

Sleep was supposed to be on top of his to-do list, but Keith kept procrastinating on his sleep to...daydream about Acxa. On one hand, he was cursing her for shooting the sleep off his eyes in one split second. On the other, he was switching between repeating her words in his mind and pressing his face in the pillow to hide his fifteen inch grin. If Kolivan saw him now, he would probably cancel his whole idea of Keith being the _future of the Galra Empire_ and whatnot. _OMG! Did she really say she likes me? No, she said she is not sure whether she likes me...as a man? It doesn’t matter—she likes me anyways. Wait, she said she admires me. Both mean the same. Right, Kosmo?_

His poor wolf had to suffer his never-ending monologue that had been going on for the past three hours or so. Kosmo lifted one ear to acknowledge his question. _I don’t know, boss. I am only a simple space wolf. How would I know about girls and love?_

Keith crawled over to where his wolf was curled upon the floor. _You know me, buddy. It isn’t like me to be like this. I really can’t sleep. I need answers._

His wolf opened his mouth in a huge yawn. _Do you want me to teleport you to her room? You can ask her yourself if both the words mean the same._

_What?!_ Keith sat up, his cheeks blazing red hot. _Dude, you can’t do that! It is three in the morning. It is not right for a guy to be in a girl’s room at this hour...alone._

If a wolf could laugh, Kosmo was surely doing that. _I never said anything about being alone._

Keith rolled his eyes, crawled back to the foot of his bunk and continued solving his romantic arithmetic which he totally sucked at.

It was around four in the morning and he was still awake, when he heard a knock at the door. Before he could react, the knock changed to a drumming as if someone was beating the door with their fist. Finally, it ended in the door coming off its hinges. “Woah! Wha-what are you doing? Who are you?”

It was Romelle. The girl was standing outside, surprised at her own strength with which she had just knocked down a door.

“Romelle! What are you doing?” Keith started to get up from his position on the floor. “How can you barge into my room like that?”

“Wait, but what are _you_ doing?” She pointed her finger at him. “Like...this?” 

He was lying on the floor, one arm under his head, the other hugging a pillow and his legs propped up on the bed, tangled in a blanket. _How did I end up like this?_ “I—nothing...this is just exercise. Morning drill.”

Romelle frowned, probably trying to make sense of what he said but then waved him off. “Okay, whatever. You need to come immediately to the med bay. It is Allura.”

“Allura?” He tried to kick off the blanket but fell over. Groaning, he asked, “Allura is in the med bay? Why?”

“Coran will explain all. But...do you need any help?”

“Yes, please.” Keith groaned again, this time out of embarrassment. “And Romelle, if you tell about this to anyone, I will...uh, I don’t know what I will do.”

“Fine, I won’t,” she promised. “Keith, relax. It’s just me. I didn’t tell anyone about your mud bath from the other day, did I? Similarly, I will never tell anyone that the leader of Voltron can’t find a way out of a blanket.”

The way she framed her statement made Keith nervous. _Was she storing away all the embarrassing details about me to blackmail me someday?_ “Thanks, Romelle. You are the best.”

She giggled in answer, which didn’t exactly reassure him.

By the time they reached the med bay, a small group had already gathered outside the emergency ward. Everyone must have woken up in the middle of the night. Hunk and Pidge were forcing their eyelids from drooping shut. Lance and Coran were in an agitated conversation with Commander Holt. They stopped when they saw the two of them. “Keith, ah, thank the ancients you are here. Allura is sick and we can’t—”

“And I had especially asked her to stay away from the foreign object until we find more information about it.” Commander Holt broke in, frustrated. “I can’t believe she let it free.”

Keith shook his head. “Guys, hold on. I don’t understand. Allura is sick? How? And what foreign object are you talking about?”

“You know the Altean pilot, Luka? Allura extracted a blob of dark energy from her body and managed to save her from certain death,” Sam Holt explained. “I had placed the object inside a containment unit until we know what exactly the thing is. This morning, I chanced to pass by the hazmat room. Seeing the lights on, I peeped inside to find Allura passed out on the floor and the entity gone.”

Poor Coran seemed to have grown ten years older with worry. “She must have taken it within her. But why? She knew it was what almost killed Luka. Why would she absorb it into her?”

“The more important thing is that we must postpone the launch date.” Lance turned to him. “Keith, surely you agree with me. The medics say she is in a coma-like state. Her vitals are dropping dangerously. We have to be by her side and not be away on world saving missions when Allura—she is...dying, when she needs us.”

Keith thought about it. The rational part of his brain protested against the unnecessary delay in proceeding on their important mission. But the emotional part scolded him for being so cold towards a friend who is on the brink of death.

Finally, he took a decisive breath. “Lance, just hear me out, okay? I understand that Allura is in a very critical condition and we all need to be by her side. Yes. But the mission planned for today is like a one-time offer--”

“Keith, you too--”

He raised his hand. “Think about it. Kolivan and his team have been working tirelessly for months...for this day when the Galra put down their weapons and hear our proposition. We cannot throw away this golden opportunity to unify them and our one chance of bringing peace to the Universe.”

Lance scoffed in disbelief. “A Universe where Allura is not present? Keith, you haven’t changed much from the first time when you suggested leaving Allura behind. You always want to think only about yourself.”

Keith was about to protest at his words, but Hunk discreetly shook his head. He suddenly remembered one of his daily visits from his time in the hospital. He used to bring Keith tasty banana cakes and juicy gossips from the world outside. _And do you know Lance and Allura went on a date together? He invited her for dinner with his whole family._

_Lance and Allura, wow!_ Keith was sad that he was not awake so that he too could have given his blessings to the new couple. But he had never seen them growing closer. At least, when he was around at the Castle of Lions, she never seemed to take Lance seriously. Maybe, it was after he left the team.

Keith swallowed his anger and laid a hand upon his friend’s shoulder. “Man, I know you are hurting. But we cannot help Allura in any way even if we stay on Earth longer. In fact, she insists that the mission is more important than any one individual, doesn’t she?”

His face contorted as if he was going to cry. “But—but we can’t just leave her here.”

“Of course, we are not going to. We need our Blue Lion with us. Commander Holt, is it possible to set up the emergency ward aboard the Atlas so that Allura can be moved in there?”

“We do have some medical facilities aboard the ship.” Sam scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I guess we can keep constant watch on her vitals if we power the sophisticated systems using the Infinite Mass Crystal. I will start working with the medical staff to complete the setup in time for launch.”

So, it was decided though Lance and Coran were not entirely satisfied. Keith couldn’t help feeling unnerved. _Why did Allura choose such a critical time to pull a stunt like this? Just the night before we launch._ He wanted nothing but the day to end as quickly as it started.

Ryker was a beautiful molar shaped planet, orbiting a blue giant star Vega-23 with almost Earth-like living conditions. Currently, it was surrounded by an ocean of Galra troops, stationed in its exosphere and waiting for a single command from their respective warlords to go loose and start firing on each other and on them.

IGF Atlas stopped at the imaginary boundary of ceasefire. Keith looked around himself, sensing an atmosphere of a dangerous calm within the crew. Kolivan stood at the helm with Coran and Krolia. His own team fanned out behind him at the bridge along with Sam and Acxa. The Alteans and the MFE pilots stood at the entrance of the bridge. The only person absent was Allura, who was still in coma from her unnecessary involvement with the dark entity from Luka’s body.

The launch of Atlas had been one of the most unforgettable milestones in the history of Garrison’s space research programs. The successful integration of Earth and Altean technologies had helped in building not only the Atlas and the MFEs but also in opening up the first wormhole by the Garrison facilities. Keith felt sad that Shiro was not around to witness all the remarkable leaps that the Garrison had achieved, and that which had always been his dream from the day he joined the field of space exploration.

Presently, Kolivan turned to him. “Keith, this is the farthest we can go without attracting fire from the Galra troops. We have to get down to the base without setting down Atlas on the ground.”

“If things get hairy and we are on the ground, we could get caught in crossfire,” Lance observed. “Keith, what is the plan?”

His brain surprisingly came up with a sound plan. “Hold this exact position. Coran, take charge of the helm. Atlas needs to be ready in case we need covering fire.”

“Copy that.”

“James, the MFEs need to be the first line of defense in case the Galra troops start to attack. Anticipate but don’t jump the gun.”

“Copy!” The four pilots said in one voice.

“Then, I think it is settled. Kolivan, you can open a hailing frequency and let Warlord Lahn and the rest of the Blades know that four of the Voltron Lions are coming down to the base. You, Krolia and Acxa can travel with us.”

The Ryker Base was bustling with Galra activity. Keith was happy to see a lot of indigo and black uniforms in the field. _Many Blades survived the holocaust caused by the druids!_

The Galra warriors stood around, waiting with bated breath and ready with their guns and weapons in hand in case the Paladins suddenly decide to whip out their Bayards at them. _These people are not our enemies,_ he reminded himself. _They are part of what I am. My family. My blood._

Syra, Ilun and Vrek were waiting for them at the entrance of the building. Vrek spoke up, “You are just in time, Kolivan. Had it been two doboshes later, I doubt we would have been able to keep them at bay. The warlords are waiting for you inside.”

Ilun looked up and down at Keith. “So, you are still alive.”

Keith smirked at her. “Sorry to disappoint.” He had compelled Ilun to take him with her on their mission to the Kral Zera as he was itching to do something other than train everyday at the Blade Headquarters. That had been the first and the last mission with her.

“Suppose I have to keep seeing your ugly mug around,” she murmured even as she extended her hand for a warrior’s handshake.

His mom, Acxa and Syra were in some serious discussion of their own. Kolivan tapped his shoulder. “Let’s go in. They will join us.” 

The Galra warlords were impatiently waiting for them.

Warlord Lahn was a gigantic man with a ridge of hair in the middle of his head, small tufts of beard, Z-shaped markings across his eyes and typical pupil-less golden eyes of the full-blooded Galra. _Hunk makes friends with everybody, doesn’t he?_

The next one was Commander Gnov. _Uh-oh!_ She was the one he had knocked out cold at the Kral Zera. _Hope she doesn’t remember me._

The third one, Warlord Morvok, was a tiny guy standing on a floating hoverboard that had been elevated to the heights of the other two. He stood straight with a funny self-respect and looked the least harmless among the three, but Keith knew better than anyone that appearances were always deceptive.

He had introduced himself as the Paladin of the Black Lion and the leader of Voltron, along with the rest of his team when Gnov raised her brow in contempt. “He is the Black Paladin? Doesn’t look... _much_.”

“If you are the Black Paladin, why are you in red armor?” Morvok asked. “I think only this big yellow one and the little green one are in their correct uniforms. Where is one more Paladin?”

Keith had to arrange his thoughts properly before answering his rapid fire questions when Lahn frowned in thought. “Wait, are you Krolia’s son?”

He was surprised. “Uh, you know my mother?”

Kolivan narrowed his eyes in warning. But Lahn seemed rather confused than suspicious. “I did not know that Krolia has a half-breed son.”

“She is your old flame?”

One death glare from Lahn effectively wiped away the teasing smile from Morvok’s face. “She used to be the senior most commanders under Warlord Ranveig. After his death, she was in charge of his base. I suppose she died in the blast that destroyed the base.”

As if on cue, his two Galra ladies walked into the room. They were accompanied by two more people he hadn’t expected to meet again.

“What’s up, Paladins?” Ezor smiled broadly with a devilish glint in her eyes. “How about we add a little more fun to this party?” 


	8. Three Broken Threads, Part - II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter didn't turn out to be as good as I wanted it to be. I kinda felt like I was writing myself into a hole. Plus I feel how much ever I try, this is the best I can do for this chapter. I am sorry about that.
> 
> But yeah, it has one of the most important plot developments as I mentioned in the previous chapter. Hope you read till the end and find it out! Let me know of your thoughts in the comments.
> 
> Happy reading!! :)

Keith half wished the four ladies had not made such a grand entrance, for the room immediately broke out into such complete chaos that he could hardly keep track of what was going on. 

“Look who is here,” Commander Gnov scoffed loudly. “The half-breed wenches of Lotor! So sad he is not around for you to suck up to and lick his boots anymore. Now then--”

“Commander Gnov,” Zethrid interrupted, shoving her huge fist into her other palm. “One face full of fist will be enough to break your nose and seal that mouth forever. Perhaps, you want a taste of it?”

Gnov was obviously infuriated. She started to get up to fight Zethrid head-on, but the masked Blades behind her rushed forward to stop her. “Why are they even here? Only the warlords with the largest fleets are allowed to be in this meeting.”

“And you think we are not? Zethrid’s and my fleet combined should be triple the size of your puny fleet. You too are nothing now that your Emperor is dead, Commander Gnov. Our fleet can crush yours within the fraction of a tick.”

She pushed off the Blades and stood up triumphantly. “Oh really? Let’s see! But I should warn you—this is not going to be much of a match. It will end in me absorbing your fleet into mine.”

“Commander Gnov, Warlords Zethrid and Ezor, please.” Kolivan looked so exasperated that Keith wondered how much patience he must have had to put in to bring these Galra warriors for a civil meeting today. At least, Lahn seemed less interested in their meaningless squabbles and more in his mother, which made him slightly uncomfortable. “Please, both of you must abide by the terms of today’s ceasefire.”

Gnov glared at Kolivan for a long moment before sinking back into her seat. To his credit, he didn’t back down from her glare.

“Yeah, we are here to listen to proposition... _peacefully._ ” Ezor pulled up a chair for herself with her head tail. “Acxa invited us here. Since she is with them, who is to argue? Right, sweetie?”

Acxa rolled her eyes. Keith guessed their arrival was not _exactly_ an invitation. Anyhow, the first flicker of a looming clash had died down.

Of course, Gnov was not done. Her next target was Acxa. “So, you too were one among these mutinous Blades. You claimed to be the one most loyal to Lotor. Did he know of this little secret of yours?”

She maintained a perfect pokerface. “I joined the Blades and the Voltron Coalition _only_ after Lotor deserted us in the final battle, Commander Gnov. I was and have always been loyal to him till the very end.”

Commander Gnov was still suspicious. Ezor drawled, “Oh yeah, I can vouch for what she says. She joined them after she ran off with her boyfriend.”

Acxa scowled so fiercely that she could have stabbed her with her looks. “Ezor, you don’t--”

Unfortunately, that one tip was enough to trigger the memory in Gnov and for her to realize that Keith, who was sitting in front of her in his Red Paladin armor, was the same guy who had kicked her down on the steps of the Kral Zera a few years ago.

“You are that kid?!” she hissed from growing anger as she probably started to relive her humiliation. “You are the one she helped to escape. But you were not in Paladin armor. That means--?”

“That means this is all a ploy and we are being played,” Lahn finished for her. Even though his eyes had no pupils, Keith felt them darting between Kolivan and Krolia. “Senior Commander Krolia, remind me again why I am not even surprised to see you in this Blade uniform. I had suspected from the beginning that you are a double agent working against the Empire. Oh, but Ranveig trusted you so much that he put you in charge of his base and assigned me to a unproductive labor planet. His base was destroyed yet here you are, alive and safe. Would you care to explain?”

Keith’s blood boiled at the sarcasm dripping in the guy’s voice, directed towards his mother. _Ranveig’s base?_ Kolivan had sent him on the mission to extract her from the base and destroy the super weapon that Ranveig had developed. To escape from Trugg who was on the verge of killing him, Krolia had struck a bargain with her and let loose the super weapon which had actually been a biological monster.

He wanted to stand up for her but a small part of him warned that this might not be his place to speak. Lahn and Krolia definitely knew each other, either as colleagues or contenders. She had a defiant look on her face. “You misunderstand, Warlord Lahn. I have never worked against the Empire. I work against the tyranny and oppression that has engulfed the Empire. As far as how I escaped from the destroyed base, I think it is not important now.”

“Her typical ambiguous answers,” Lahn muttered under his breath. “Well, how about this question? How big of a coincidence is it that your half-breed kid, who is a Blade himself, is _very_ conveniently the Black Paladin? You say the Black Lion chose this boy as its Paladin?”

“It is true.” Kolivan seemed worried about what conclusions Lahn was drawing at. “Warlord Lahn, I think--”

“Or, is it the other way round? Perhaps, the Blades want to take over the Galra Empire and so, you put the boy in the Black Lion. Perhaps, he is merely a puppet for you to rally around and preach that the Galra also get representation in the Voltron Coalition.” He scratched at his chin in a mock thoughtful manner. “That seems more probable to me...after all, I know about Krolia, how much of an ambitious person she is. You want to become the Emperor or Empress of the Galra Empire, right?”

Lahn pushed back his chair and stood up. “Then, I think I have made my decision. I am out of this. I have spent decaphoeebs building my base and my fleet. I am not going to give this up for traitors like you.”

“I am out as well. I can’t imagine what will happen in case this skinny runt of a guy and his faithful sidekick take over the Galra Empire. We would have to obey the orders of...ugh!” Gnov shuddered and waved her hand at him in disgust. “I mean, what are you without your Lion? A half-breed shamefully weak to be Galra. What is your decision, Warlord Morvok?”

Morvok was in a state of silent indecision. Judging from the expression on his face, the guy, like Keith, was still trying to make sense of what escalated in the last few minutes. 

But he realized quickly that he had to handle the situation before the conversation completely shut out. _Patience yields focus...or not?_ “Warlord Lahn, Commander Gnov, we are not trying to take over the Empire. In fact, there is no Galra Empire presently. We are trying to protect and consolidate what is left of our people, our civilization that has been ripped apart due to the greed and cruelty of the rulers.”

“Oh, the boy talks!” sneered Gnov, but he ignored her. “If you will form an alliance with the Voltron Coalition, we can inspire the remaining small pockets of the Galra citizens to stop fighting against each other and unite against the real enemy, High Priestess Haggar.”

“And then, what?” Lahn challenged. “After the war is over, you will turn on us and kill us as you used to.”

“We won’t,” Keith promised desperately. He felt like he was in a boat that was drowning in the middle of the ocean. _I don’t even know what I am talking about._ “After the war is over, we can finally--”

“Live in peace? Peace has never been the Galra way, Paladin. You might be Galra but you know nothing about us.”

Thankfully, one soul came to his rescue. Hunk sat forward, his eyes shining as if he had an excellent idea in his mind. “Commander Lahn, though I am not Galra myself, I had the honor of learning about the ways of the Galra from the original Dayak of the Empire. Through her, I learnt that there was a time when the Galra used to live in harmony and help the people who are in trouble. I guess that is a good idea, isn’t it? I mean, you are all warriors and you don’t want that—warrior blood, is it...to go stagnant, you can help provide stability and protection to the rest of the oppressed beings of the Universe.”

_You are a genius, Hunk!_ Keith thanked him silently with his eyes and added, “And Voltron will protect you in case of any aggression. I can guarantee that.”

Lahn folded his arms over his chest. “Voltron will protect us? I saw how well that went last time. Sendak attacked us after we pledged loyalty to Lotor and to your Coalition. You left us defenseless and disappeared for decaphoeebs. I am never going to let that happen again.”

Keith was about to open his mouth to protest that it was not their intention to be gone for so long or leave them unprotected, when Acxa did something that was either pure genius or the biggest blunder of their lives.

“Sendak is dead,” she said in her usual monotone.

He started slightly. She had been sitting so quietly the entire time that he had forgotten her presence beside him.

Lahn looked at her warily. “I know. I heard.”

“Keith killed him.”

He was not sure who was most shocked by what she said— Kolivan, the Galra warlords, the Paladins, her ex-friends or himself. He met her eyes. _What are you doing?!_

Her eyes answered for her. _Just trust me._

“Not with the help of Black Lion,” she continued. “But only with a single strike of his sword, he slew Sendak, the right hand man of Zarkon for eons, the fiercest of the Galra warriors. I suppose that answers both your doubts. Commander Gnov? Warlord Lahn?”

_What the actual--?_ He cursed himself for exaggerating his so-called _heroic feats_ to her. She really believed and worse, memorized what he had told her, word for word. _Oh, quiznack. What do I do now?_

Lahn trained his golden eyes on him. “Is this true?”

_Here goes nothing._ “The only way to end the invasion of Earth by the Fire of Purification was by killing Sendak. I did what I had to...to save the innocent people and to stop the atrocities spread by the faction.”

Kolivan nodded his head, an indiscernible glint of exultation in his face. “And, technically, Voltron _did_ deliver on their promise. By destroying Sendak and the Fire of Purification faction, they have rooted out one more threat to a stable Universe. Yes, they were late and were not available for the past three years. But it was an unforeseen and unintentional situation.”

Just then, Zethrid raised her hand. “We are in.”

Keith turned to her, taken aback by this new development. _Zethrid and Ezor agree to join us?_ Even, Acxa seemed surprised by what she was hearing.

“What? We listened to everything that passed here. I am only getting more restless sitting around to listen more.” She shifted in her chair. “He says they are gonna defeat Haggar. That is what we want too. He says that they will protect us after the war is over. Great! We don’t have to worry about getting killed every second quintant. Additionally, they offer us the chance to thrash something in the name of protecting weaker beings.”

“Um...Zethrid? That is not what--”

“So, where is the catch? We are all good.”

Acxa’s plan, whatever it was, was actually working. Gnov was gazing intently at him, probably trying to guess the strength with which he had killed Sendak. Lahn looked uncertain about his decision as well. “And what is the guarantee that they will actually do as they say?”

Ezor grinned broadly at Acxa. “Well, I have my own forms of... _leverage_. The Paladin has to come true on his promise.”

Then, Morvok raised his hand. “I am joining as well.”

“You are a coward, Morvok.” Gnov narrowed her eyes at him. “You were always a coward.”

“See, you can call me whatever you want,” he replied, revolving around on his hoverboard. “A guy who killed _Sendak_...I am not taking any chances with him. Plus, do you have any idea how powerful Voltron is?” He bit at his claw, either in fright or in distraction. “They can cut through an entire cruiser with their sword. I almost died at Taujeer...but yeah, since I am an honorable warrior and ‘Victory or Death’ is--” 

“I need time to think about this,” Lahn cut in, decisively. “Maybe, a quintant before I let you know my final decision.”

Lance was about to argue about the unnecessary delay but Keith realized that even if Lahn agreed to join, there was no way they could attack Haggar without Voltron, without the Blue Lion. _They can take their time, all we need is..._ “No, it is fine. Let them take their time to ponder over this. We have a condition, though. As long as the ceasefire continues, you must let us set down Atlas on planet Ryker without getting involved in unnecessary firefights from the Galra cruiser blockade.”

“So, what do we do now? The mission didn’t go as well as planned.”

They gathered around their Lions in the hangar aboard the Atlas, having returned from their mission. The Blue Lion was enclosed in the particle barrier, meaning Allura was still not awake. “Any improvements in Allura’s conditions?”

Commander Holt shook his head. “No, Keith. The only good news is that her condition is not worsening. She is alive, but...no signs of her waking up.”

Keith took a deep breath. “I suppose no progress in finding Oriande, as well?”

“Well, we did make progress there.” _Oh, finally some good news!_ “After analyzing all the data that Acxa has procured from her mission, Slav says that there is no way Haggar can cloak a planet of that size in plain view. So, it is not scientific methods she has used. It has to be through alchemy or magic, as Acxa pointed out.”

“Meaning, we are right back at where we started,” Keith snapped in frustration. “We have no idea where the witch is, whether the rest of Galra will join our side and we cannot form Voltron if something attacks. Wow!”

Lance patted his shoulder. “Hey, man. Don’t get so worked up. Everything is going to turn out fine. We just need to wait for Allura to wake up. She will surely know what is to be done about Haggar.”

Keith was not ready to calm down, but he realized that waiting for Allura to wake up was the only thing they could do now. But Pidge had other ideas. “So, how about we go to Olkarion and check out why they have gone silent for the past five months?”

“Pidge, we will go there for sure, but not today. Lahn might ask for us any time.”

“Yeah, and if what Matt says is true,” Lance joined in. “And if the planet was really attacked by a Robeast, we cannot go in there without Voltron. The Blue Lion is...whoa! Working again! Look!”

Keith turned around in wonder as much as the others. Indeed, the particle barrier around Blue went down and she straightened up, roaring in triumph.

“Praise the ancients!” Coran was ecstatic. “Allura must have woken up. Come on, let’s go to her.”

However, the Blue Lion had other surprises in store for them.

She trudged over to them and lowered her ramp in front of a completely bewildered Acxa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, I hope you really appreciate how the Blue Lion chose Acxa over Allura here. 
> 
> When Allura fell out with Keith in 'Revelations, Part - II', her trust in him as a Leader started to fall apart as well. She unconsciously felt that he trusted Acxa more than herself. She had herself grown to love and trust Lotor. But after his betrayal, her hatred for the Galra returned full circle, despite the fact that Lotor is only half-Galra and actually half-Altean. 
> 
> Added to that, Keith never told her all what Acxa had informed him about Honerva (though he had his own reasons for doing so). In 'Temple of Mysteries', I have clearly shown their fight over this fact. So, Allura felt even more betrayed and helpless that she could have done something earlier to save her people from Honerva, had he told her about this before. 
> 
> This culminates in 'Temptations'. Her fragile mind was very easy for the dark entity to manipulate and tempt her to release it for Honerva to take control of her mind. The thoughts like why should she let a Galra pilot the Black Lion, and that the Red Lion should have been hers as her father's legacy, were the evil thoughts rooted deep in her mind and stemmed from jealousy and distrust, which the entity took advantage of and guided her to their side. But, don't worry. Allura will overcome all this and learn what is wrong and right soon. 
> 
> On the other hand, Acxa has nothing but pure trust for Keith. She wholeheartedly believes that he will bring peace and unity to the entire Universe, including the Galra. She didn't even hesitate making the blood oath promising the same. She truly respects him as a good leader, unlike Allura who has constant doubts about his leadership. So, to keep team Voltron from breaking, the Blue Lion chooses Acxa as its new Paladin. Also, the Blue Lion is the one who gives chances to new, capable candidates. And Acxa is definitely more than capable to be a Paladin. 
> 
> As far as the original Garrison trio are concerned, though they didn't trust Keith in the beginning, they have grown to respect him and feel safe with him in the Black Lion, as Pidge says. They look up to him at every difficulty for his final decision though they may argue with him or question him.


	9. Battle Scars

“So...? Are we not going to have a discussion about the newest addition to our team?”

The Lions were on their mission to check on Olkarion. After the Blue Lion laid down her ramp for Acxa to get in, Coran had advised that it would be very inauspicious to make the Lions wait when they were ready for a quest.

“We will call you if you are needed here,” said he. “The Atlas will open up a teludav so that you may return immediately. I think, at the moment, you must leave for Olkarion.”

He didn’t say much after that, but Keith knew his momentary joy had plummeted into utter despair when the Blue Lion chose a new Paladin over Allura, who was lying in coma. Coran excused himself to check after the Princess.

Keith was unable to understand this sudden change of guard, that too at such a critical time. _It isn’t because of my feelings for her, is it? Does it work that way? If the Black Paladin falls in love with someone, they become one of the Paladins at the cost of another?_

The Black Paladin before him was Shiro. _Perhaps, if Adam had been with us at the time, he would have been one of the Paladins._ But then, something else struck him. _Honerva was Zarkon’s wife. She was never a Paladin of Voltron._ So, obviously, his feelings were not the reason. _Then why?_

“I mean,” Lance continued. “Why would the Blue Lion choose a new Paladin when Allura is still around?”

Keith sighed again. In the last few minutes, he had emptied and refilled his lungs for nearly a hundred times. Acxa was so quiet that he had to keep checking the console to see if the Blue Lion was with them. “Lance, I don’t know. Once we get back to the Castle—uh, I mean, the Atlas, we can discuss about this. Right now, let’s focus on our mission. Pidge, where are we? I don’t find Olkarion anywhere in sight.”

“Yeah, I think the wormhole has dumped us into the galactic neighborhood of Olkarion,” Pidge replied. The console on the Black Lion chimed with an incoming message. “I have sent the route map to the planet. I have been trying to contact them but I have not received any answer yet.”

“Matt and Captain Olia have apparently been trying for the past five months. I guess the Olkari are not on the planet anymore.”

Keith pushed the thrusters forward. “Let’s check for ourselves. I think we can get there faster if we form Voltron. We need to get back to Atlas as soon as we can.”

Pidge seemed uncertain. “But, will we be able to form Voltron? I mean, with a different Blue Paladin and all...”

“Well, this is a good time to find out.”

The bad news— they couldn’t form Voltron.

The good news— they were able to arrive at Olkarion in their Lions.

But again, bad news— the planet was not as they had expected. Or rather, exactly as they had expected. 

Even from the exosphere, Keith noticed that the usual brownish green hue of the planet had been replaced by a dusty and dull grey color. When they landed, they found it deserted and in complete rubble. Seeing the utter devastation, Keith wondered if there would be any survivors after this kind of destruction. _They are the Universe’s biggest technology geniuses. If there is a way to escape, they would surely have found it._

Pidge was visibly upset at their worst fears coming true. Her voice trembled with emotion as she said, “They were our friends, our allies.”

Hunk put a consoling hand on her shoulder. Keith looked around at the group, all saddened with the loss of their allies in the war. “Guys, I know this is a difficult moment, but we need to get to work. Our top priority is search and rescue. If there are survivors, we need to find them. We need to find out what happened here.”

“There is only one thing capable of this,” Pidge snarled.

He jumped down the small cliff to where Black was standing. “Well, let’s confirm it.”

Hunk, Acxa and Keith took to the skies to scout the planet for survivors, while Lance and Pidge stayed on the ground to collect samples. They had carefully covered a few hundred miles when an image of a large crater pinged on Black’s console.

“I think our worst fears have been realized.” _This must be the place where the Robeast landed on Olkarion. The crater is similar to what was formed upon its landing on Earth._ “The physical wreckage and destruction patterns are just like those on Earth.”

“Our findings are the same.” Pidge spoke over the comm. “I think the Quintessence has been siphoned out of Olkarion as well.”

“Pidge and I took some readings. We picked up trace elements of Psyferite. That’s the same metal the creature on Earth was made.”

Acxa hummed thoughtfully. Perhaps, she briefly forgot about her plan to keep quiet among the Paladins. “Why would this Robeast attack Olkarion of all places?”

“Maybe, because it was a central part of the Coalition?” mused Keith.

“Maybe. I just get the feeling there is something more to it.”

He ran the calculation for the remaining perimeter of the land they had to inspect. “You might be right. But, we don’t have any way to confirm it. Right now, we just need to focus on finding survivors.”

After what felt like twenty long hours, the entire planet was clear. There were no survivors, no signs of why the Robeast attacked there, no intel besides the obvious fact that the planet had died as the Quintessence was sucked out of it.

“Let’s return to the Atlas, Paladins. I don’t think we can find anything else from here.”

However, Pidge was not ready to depart from Olkarion. “Keith, something tells me that I can find out more from this place. Please, I just need a few more minutes before we leave.”

Keith realized that out of all the Paladins, it was Pidge who was the closest to the Olkari and who had the deepest connection to the place. _She would need more time to come to terms with what has happened._ “Okay. Lance, you stay with her. Hunk and Acxa, follow me. We need to keep guard in case something comes to attack us.”

Pidge roamed aimlessly through the forest, through the broken trees and the debris. She touched a lone leaf that hung precariously from a low lying branch, only for it to dissolve into ash. _Everything is gone._ She stopped in front of the entangled roots of an oak tree, triggered by a fond memory. 

“Pidge?” It was Lance.

“I know this place,” she said miserably. “This is where Ryner taught me how to bond with the forest. The Olkari helped me make that connection. I learned more from them than I ever thought possible.”

Lance patted her shoulders gently. But she knew that she could never be the same again. The Olkari, especially Ryner, had been her friend and her teacher. Her voice echoed in her mind. _And you...the spirit of Olkari resides in you. The bond between you and your lion has grown stronger than ever._

Pidge sank down to the ground, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. _Please, why? Why can’t this all be a nightmare? Why Olkarion? Why?!_ “They had so much more to teach the Universe. And now they are gone.”

All of a sudden, she heard some voices in the bleak surroundings. _There are survivors?_ The scene around her shifted from the grey to the brown-green background as she remembered the place. _No way! What is happening?_ Then, she noticed two little girls playing with a ball. They laughed, ran at each other and disappeared into the woods. The scene disappeared along with them. 

“Pidge? Pidge?” Lance’s voice brought her to reality. “Are you all right?”

She pointed in the direction of the forest. “You didn’t see it?”

“See what?”

“The forest, it was back to how it was before. There were girls playing.” From his face, she realized that the scene had been enacted out only for her. _The Olkari had a profound connection to the land. Just like I do. Maybe, the place is trying to show me something._

As if on cue, the scene changed again. The two girls were still playing with a ball. The forest was as lush green as before. The leaves and branches danced with the breeze. Suddenly, the girls gasped and looked up. Pidge followed their glance to see a meteor racing to the surface. _Honerva’s Robeast!_

“We need to get to the city!”

Keith had done a bad job of choosing his companions for guard duty. Currently, they were wandering outside Olkarion in their Lions and waiting for...something to happen.

He couldn’t focus. Now that he finally had some time to breath, he started to think about the consequences of the change in the Blue Paladin. He felt guilty for being secretly happy that Acxa was on his team, in the Blue Lion no less. He had never imagined in his wildest team that she was to be part of Voltron. _Heck, I never believed that I was destined to be part of Voltron._

But the fact hung heavily among them that Allura was still sick and the Blue Lion had sort of given up on her to choose a new Paladin. _Does that mean Allura is not going to make it? Please, no! Not another friend!_ Whatever the disagreements they might have, Allura was a friend and a part of his family. Or, at least, he considered her as his family. He was not sure what she thought of him. He didn’t want anything happening to her.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by Hunk. “So, how much longer is Pidge gonna be on the planet?”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to refuse her request. Olkarion was a place she held dear to her heart. I think when she is ready, she will come back to us.”

Hunk fell silent. A minute later, he began talking again, this time to Acxa. “Hey, Acxa! Do you know me? I am Hunk, Paladin of the Yellow Lion.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Hunk, of course, she knows you. We have all been working together for such a long time now.”

“Man, I’m just trying to make her feel included. If we’re to form Voltron with her in Blue, we need to bond with her. I need to bond with my fellow leg, right?”

“Thank you,” Acxa hesitated. “But what ‘fellow leg’ are you talking about?”

“You don’t know? It’s gonna be awesome!” Hunk laughed in delight. “You and I will be the legs of Voltron, you know...when we form Voltron. And Keith will be the head and he’ll be all like— ‘Hunk, form shoulder cannon! Lance, form sword! Pidge, SHIELD!’” He mimicked his voice perfectly. “And you can form freeze ray and sonar wave and other cool stuff and Keith will--”

“Hunk!” Keith cut in before he could embarrass him some more. “It’s okay. Acxa will figure out things. ”

“Oh yeah. Oh yeah, of course, you know to fly ships?”

Keith fought the urge to roll his eyes again. _No, then what are the Galra cruisers and the Sincline ships she used to fly all the time?_ But Acxa took the question seriously as though she was in an interview for a job she desperately needed. “Yes, I do. I flew one of the Sincline ships before Lotor fused them together as one.”

Hunk became sheepish at the question he had asked. “Oh right, you were Lotor’s general before. I forgot. By the way, what did you guys do after he shot you out into space in the middle of the battle?”

“After Lotor jettisoned us, the three of us managed to make it to cover on a meteoroid. We were marooned there for days. Finally, when a Galra cruiser came to investigate Lotor’s last known whereabouts, we took it over.”

“Then Zethrid and Ezor built their own fleet from there up,” Keith guessed. “And you left them?”

“Yes, you are right.” Acxa took a deep breath. “They wanted to exploit the power vacuum in the Galra Empire that ensued after Lotor’s death. I knew that it was not my calling, so I decided to leave.”

She had left everything behind without a second thought because it was against the morals and the principles she stood for, and chose to fight for their cause. Keith could only imagine how much she must have struggled during the beginning with the Coalition. They would have criticized her or suspected everything she did, just like Allura.

“Thank you,” he said almost spontaneously. “I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for us. I—I think I will be forever in your debt.”

She didn’t say anything but he knew that she was smiling. He wanted to pull up the live feed from the Blue Lion, but decided against it. _That would be awkward._

Just then, Hunk broke in. “Guys, we got incoming!”

Black’s console beeped at the same time. “Woah! What’s happening?” He glanced at the radar map and the hostile blinking red on it. “Something big is headed our way at an incredible speed!”

Hunk had already started to panic. “A Galra cruiser? Some kind of weapon?”

“Another Robeast?” Acxa suggested.

The hostile was none of those. It was something they had never imagined, and it seemed like a huge coincidence or a written fate that this should occur when the three of them were working as a team again. “It’s a Weblum!”

Pidge sat down cross-legged on the tallest building still standing and willed the planet to show her more of what had happened on that fateful day. The scene shifted accordingly.

The Robeast rose from the crater and dug its sickles into the ground. The Quintessence of the planet rushed to it like rivers of purple energy. The people were caught at short notice. The civilians were huddled in groups of twos and threes. The soldiers were gathered around a single figure of authority. _Ryner._ “It’s Ryner.”

“Ryner? What is she doing?”

Pidge got up from her position and jet-packed over to where Ryner was giving orders to her team. “Get the civilians to evacuation pods and launch them immediately.” Two soldiers rushed to execute her command. “Have all military personnel report to the battle stations. Scramble the mechs for counterattack.”

The Robeast straightened up to blast a column of the purple energy from its chest right into the ring-shaped ion cannon at the communication tower, destroying it in a single blast. Ryner sent out her tree mechs to intercept the Robeast. She had most likely decided that the cause was doomed. The most she could do was to keep the intel safe.

“Keep the beast at bay as long as you can.” She turned to one of her engineers. “We need to preserve the information from the communication tower!”

Pidge used her thrusters to get to the building before the Robeast could destroy what was left of it.

Hunk got super excited for some reason, seeing the Weblum. “Keith, look! We’ve been inside one of those!”

“How could I forget?” Keith groaned. At the same time, Acxa sighed unhappily. Perhaps, she was remembering her own almost-death experience she had faced inside the beast.

“Oh my gosh!” Hunk gasped loudly as he recalled the day. “Acxa, you were there with us too, wow! This is where the two of you met for the first time. Keith, this must be special--”

“Hunk!” _Dude, can you just shut your mouth for some time?!_ “We need to focus. Where is that Weblum heading?”

He thankfully stopped talking to check the course of the creature. “According to my calculations, it is headed towards...no way, it is going to Olkarion.”

Keith opened a channel to call out to his friends. “Lance, Pidge, you need to get back here at once. A Weblum is headed towards Olkarion.”

“A Weblum? What’s that?” Lance asked.

“They are these giant space beasts that eat dead planets and create scaultrite. Keith and I learnt about them from the video that Coran made. There was some rule like— ‘if you don’t want to be killed, stay away from its gills’?”

Keith shook his head. “That wasn’t the rhyme. It is— ‘if you don’t want to be dead, avoid its head’.”

“The Weblum is fast approaching, Keith.” Acxa retorted in frustration. “This is not the time to listen to you rhyme.”

Hunk chuckled softly. “You two just--!”

“Hunk!” Keith warned again. “Look, the important thing is that you two need to get off that planet now. The Weblum is gonna destroy it.”

“Um, how long do you think you can hold it off?”

He was baffled. “Hold it off? It is a giant space worm! We can’t hold it off.”

“Pidge has found a way to tap into Olkarion’s history,” Lance replied. “She may be able to find out something, but we need a little more time.”

He considered the request. “All right. We’ll buy you as much time as we can.”

The broken console of the communications system came to life as soon as Pidge landed there. Two Olkari engineers were furiously typing on the console. The Robeast kept pounding at the building with its weapon. “How did we not pick up this thing on our scanners?”

“It just appeared!” The lady cried impatiently. She skimmed through the scanner logs on her screen. “Wait, see here. The scanners have picked up anomalies that come from the warping of space-time.”

“Then that means this creature came through a wormhole?”

Ryner’s agitated face appeared on the console. “Transfer all the data from the facility to a safe location off planet. Then evacuate immediately.”

“Understood.”

The engineers pressed the button to finish their upload. The beast fired a searing laser beam at the tower. That was the last Pidge saw of the Olkari engineers. She fell on her knees trying to wipe away the gruesome sight from her eyes. _We could have saved them. This happened only five months ago. We could have helped the Olkari. This is our fault. My fault. The people were fighting for their lives when we were happily enjoying on Earth with our families._

Presently, Keith’s urgent voice came through her helmet’s inbuilt comm. “Lance, Pidge. I’m sorry but you need to get out of there immediately!”

She looked up at Lance. “I need more time.”

He nodded in understanding. “Keith, I am coming up to help.”

A minute later, the Red Lion flew out into the atmosphere, leaving Pidge all alone on the planet.

Of course, it was all Hunk’s fault. He just couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

The three of them were flying toward the Weblum’s face in a hopeless bid to distract it because Pidge was apparently able to read the history etched into the planet when he started again, “Keith missed you so much that day when you left after stealing some of the scaultrite. He was so upset. He kept saying like, hey, my buddy is gone, I miss him so much. Oh, and he thought you were a guy.” Hunk chortled loudly as if they were on a rollercoaster and not fighting a space monster. “Can you believe that?”

“Hunk!” Keith growled his name for the fortieth time. “You are exaggerating. I didn’t keep saying that I missed, uh!—Acxa, come on, surely you don’t believe him. I didn’t even know who you were then. Why in the world would I _miss_ you?”

“What did you say?”

Keith quickly backpedaled at her question. “No, I mean like--”

“No, not you. Hunk. What did you say?”

Hunk was trying to push the Weblum off its course with his Lion. “My buddy is long gone. Keith said so. I was only quoting him.”

“No, prior to that. About the scaultrite. I stole scaultrite?”

He hummed in agreement. “Keith said so. He said you stole a bag of scaultrite.”

“I stole scaultrite?! Whoa! How can you say that? How can you accuse me of _stealing_?”

Keith was confused. _Did I say something wrong?_ “Well, you _did_ steal. I mean, you trained your gun at me when I was unarmed and took a bag of scaultrite with you.”

“I fought alongside you against the bacteria. I stayed by you when the creature blasted its laser puke! I took only what was rightfully mine.”

“Yeah, but I was protecting you with my shield. You were like... just crouching beside me.”

“Excuse me, mister. It isn’t like you did all the dirty work while I was just cozying around in the stomach acid. How can you accuse me of being a thief? A scaultrite thief, no less. If I am a scaultrite thief, so are you.”

 _Woah! Are we seriously quarreling over this?_ “Hey, I was there to collect the scaultrite, not seize it from someone. And the bags were all mine. So, technically I wasn’t stealing anything.”

“Technically, huh? Did you ask permission from the beast before taking away the material produced by its glands? No. You even provoked it to crystallize the scaultrite. I did none of those. All I did was take one bag of that stuff. And—and I even helped you fill your thousand bags!”

“I didn’t have a thousand—ugh!” Keith clenched his fist. “Fine, I accept. We _both_ stole the scaultrite. But you still stole my bag.”

“You are insufferable! I will get you a new bag. A cheap two GAC bag, wasn’t it?”

Hunk cleared his throat. “Um, guys, sorry to interrupt your—whatever you are doing, but the Weblum is like right behind you. Get out of its line of fire!”

The Weblum had already opened its mouth to fire. For a fraction of a second, Keith froze and couldn’t immediately process what he was supposed to do.

Whether by instincts or aware of what she was doing, Acxa pushed her Lion between him and the beast and unlocked the Blue Lion’s sonic wave generator. The Weblum closed its mouth, confused as to where it was aiming to fire. It bought him enough time to step away from its mouth. _Wow, she saved me again!_

But he realized that changing the course of the Weblum was really impossible.

He spotted the Red Lion coming up to join them in their offense. _Lance is here. Only waiting for Pidge. Pidge, where are you?_

Ryner was ushering the civilians into the escape pods. Tens of the pods had already soared into the sky.

However, the Robeast showed no signs of slowing down. It fired its powerful laser beams in every direction until every building had been reduced to rubble.

Finally, it pulled out the four Olkari cubes from the ground. The very same that she had once managed to deactivate using the vines generator upon the Green Lion. It took off, leaving behind a trail of nothing but destruction. _It came for the cubes. Why?_

A little girl hugged Ryner’s torso, sobbing. “I am scared. I don’t want to leave.”

She knelt down to hug her. “You must not cling too tightly to the past. The Olkari have always been able to adapt and move forward. It is our greatest strength. And it will live on in you.”

“But this is our home...”

She smiled kindly. “The old must give way to the new. It's the way of the universe. Now, please, go.”

The girl hugged her tightly once more and jumped into the escape pod. With that, the scene cut out to the present.

Keith was shouting, “Pidge! Pidge, are you there? We can’t hold off this thing any longer. You need to get out of there!”

She took a deep breath and rose to her feet. Green was waiting for her.

It took one massive blast from the Weblum to destroy what was left of Olkarion. Pidge watched miserably as the planet broke apart into cosmic debris and the Weblum moved forward to digest the pieces. Her friends offered her their deepest condolences.

She thanked them but what more could she do? Her favorite place in the Universe, second only to Earth, was gone.

“If you think about it, this isn't really the end of Olkarion. Weblums eating dead planets is just the first step in a process that leads to the growth of new stars, planets and galaxies.”

Hearing Hunk’s thoughts reminded her of what Ryner had said to the little girl. _The old gives way to the new. This isn’t the time to carry regrets, but to stand up and fight._

“Let’s get back to the Atlas, guys. It turns out that the Olkari weren’t done teaching us a few things.”


	10. Day Two Thirty Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another filler chapter. This would be the last, for after this sets in complete action and angst. 
> 
> What to expect: A sneak peak in a day in Acxa's life. [Huge amount of Kacxa romantic fluff *clasps hands at the cuteness like Morvok*]
> 
> Disclaimers (if any): Yeah, this is pretty important. For all the Veracxa shippers (friendship or romantic), you have been warned. You might not like this, so read at your own risk. 
> 
> Hope you like this chapter! Happy reading!! :)

Acxa was having a bad day. And, it was not because of the food. Though the food was awful as well. But the Earthlings were eagerly devouring what was served on their plates. So she guessed it must be her taste buds which were to blame.

But Acxa was having a bad day even before she sat down at the lone table to have her meal.

She had gathered all her courage to confess her feelings to Keith, only for him to act as if nothing of that sort ever happened. Granted they had been busy the whole day–attending the negotiations with the Galra warlords and later, going to check on Olkarion. Still, he used to at least smile at her. Today, she felt like he was trying his best to ignore her. _Did I do a grave mistake by laying bare my heart? Perhaps, the timing was not right. He must have thought I am so irresponsible trying to seduce him when a war is raging around us. Or, perhaps, he would not want to be with a half-breed abomination like me._ She couldn’t blame him if that was the reason. Who would want to be with a half-Galra girl anyways?

She looked around the mess hall. The girls from Earth were pretty with beautiful hair and of similar skin tone as Keith. If he grew up with these cadets, the chances were high that he already had a lover. Or, he could easily procure one if he wanted to. Only a day aboard the Atlas and already, Acxa had mentally rolled her eyes at all the girls who became a blushing, giggling mess if Keith so much as stood near them.

Her statistically advanced brain divined that he would most likely want to court one of those girls—the bespectacled, dark haired sister of his best friend, who was currently giving her curious looks from the other end of the mess hall. She plunged her spork into the thick brown goo in her plate, with small pieces of... _what is that called again? Cauliflower? Mushroom?_

She sighed for a third time. _I am stupid. Why am I using my keen intellect for this kind of useless and pathetic activity? Let Keith be happy with whoever he wants._ She didn’t want to employ her thoughts into feelings such as jealousy and selfishness. She decided to employ them elsewhere such as the inexplicable occurrences of this afternoon.

Never in her wildest dreams, had she imagined or wished to be the Blue Paladin. She had wanted to talk about this to Keith. But the moment the Lions landed in the hangar after their mission to Olkarion, he was ushered away by Kolivan and Sam Holt for urgent discussions about the next course of action. Lance went off with Coran to check on Princess Allura. Pidge and Hunk wanted to work on the intel she had collected from the abandoned planet to track down the survivors. Seeing that Acxa would be left alone, they advised her to have dinner and rest for the day.

_Do I want to be a Voltron Paladin?_ Honestly, she had no idea.

Her eyes flicked around the room, taking in the mannerisms of the Atlas residents. She was used to the rigid military practices of the Galra and not the easygoing ways of the people of Earth. Everyone sat in twos and threes at the tables, laughing and chattering.

Presently, she caught a movement from the corner of her eyes. Lance’s sister was smiling and waving at her. “Acxa, come join us!” _What is her name? Vero-nica?_

She didn’t want to indulge in small talks but she could not offend the people around if she was supposed to stay here longer. She picked up her plate to walk over to where she was invited.

Veronica was sitting with the four MFE pilots she had met the previous day at the Garrison entry gate. _The leader, the analyst, the social butterfly and the peacemaker._ She sat down next to Veronica.

Veronica propped up her cheek in her palm. “So, how did you meet the Paladins?”

Acxa put down her spork before answering. “I met Keith when I was stuck in the third stomach of the Weblum. He saved my life.”

The social butterfly was instantly interested. “What were you doing in a stomach?”

“Collecting scaultrite to help Lotor in his plans to conquer the Universe.”

She frowned in thought. “I once got stuck in a ball pit when I was a kid.”

The analyst narrowed her eyes at what passed, but said nothing. Veronica continued in a seemingly cheerful manner, “Well, what do you think of the crew? It must be a pretty different dynamic being we don’t try to kill each other, huh?”

Acxa couldn’t help rolling her eyes. _Great! Keith thinks I am a thief. Now, this lady thinks I am a murderer._ She almost snapped that she had never killed anyone in her life, but stopped herself. “I suppose. But the Galra have an expression: Combat is the searing light that burns away imperfections.”

Everyone stared at her, puzzled by her words. The analyst glanced around the table. “It would appear the mood of this table has become rather awkward.” The dark haired girl nudged her to keep quiet, but she continued nevertheless, “Most likely due to your Galra lineage.”

Acxa stared at her plate. _I was sitting over there, happily munching on my mushrooms. You invite me over just to insult my lineage?_

“Yep. Definitely...awkward,” she concluded.

The social butterfly was staring at her, a little apologetic for her friend’s words. The friend, however, was coolly enjoying her food. The peacemaker looked like he wanted to bury himself into the ground. _I don’t think I am welcome here any longer. I have lost my appetite as well. Best thing to do is leave them alone._

She got up from her seat. “I have finished my meal. Please continue yours.”

She trudged over to the trashcan to dump the remainder of her food in it.

The night was still young and Acxa was not feeling sleepy at all, even after the long day. During her time under Lotor, she had spent days in a row without any sleep, busy with her work on the comet ship. She was used to it.

After roaming aimlessly through the aisles of the IGF Atlas, she found herself near the medical bay. Merla was outside the ward, talking to Tavo. Both of them smiled when they noticed her and came over. “Acxa! We didn’t see you for the whole quintant. Where have you been?”

“It is a long story. What about you guys? Did Luka wake up?”

Merla happily bounced on her feet. “Yeah, finally! She is awake, yes, but still very weak and burnt from all the injuries. Do you want to come in to meet her?”

“Would that be welcome?”

“Yeah, of course.” Tavo patted her shoulder. “You two go in. I will see if Coran needs anything.”

Luka was a pretty girl with a pixie face and long orange hair with Altean markings of the same color, now swathed heavily in bandages. She looked like someone Acxa would have least expected to be the pilot of a deadly Robeast.

“She is Galra!” The girl murmured in alarm as soon as she saw Acxa.

“Mmm-hmm.” Merla made her sit down on a chair by the bed and herself perched on a high three-legged stool. “But she is a friend. A lot of things have changed in the past four decaphoeebs, Luka. We have a lot of Galra friends now.”

“Oh, really?” Her red eyes stayed on her, a look of confusion and caution in equal parts. _The Alteans have a deep rooted hatred of anything Galra which probably will take a long time to dissolve completely._ “Nice to meet you, Acxa. It must have been fun for the three of you to make new friends while we were forced to toil away for the witch.”

Acxa was surprised. “She remembers what happened? I thought they were mind controlled by Honerva.”

“Don’t speak her name here.” Luka glanced around the room fearfully. “The witch is too powerful. She might find us, me in particular, if you call her by name. I was indeed mind controlled by her. It felt like—how to say? Like I knew what I was doing is wrong, but I had no choice.”

She pulled her chair closer to the bed. “So, do you know where the witch is?”

“That is exactly what we asked Luka when she gained her consciousness.” Merla shook her head. “She doesn’t remember. We assume that it must have been through the dark entity that Ho—the witch operated. Once that was pulled out--”

Acxa nodded in understanding. “Like a memory device has been pulled out of her system. Then, there is no point in interrogating her any further. Perhaps, the Princess will be able to find out something.”

“Perhaps.” Merla didn’t look so convinced. “Luka, you should rest now.” She lowered the headrest and placed a small console at an arm length. “Here, press this red button in case you need something or feel any kind of discomfort. One of us will be here immediately.”

“Thanks, Merla.” Luka managed a small smile. “You are the best.”

She jumped down from her stool. “Let’s go to the lounge, Acxa. You owe me your ‘long story’.”

Her audience consisted of Merla and Rian, who had already been relaxing in one of the beanbags placed in the lounge. Curse them, they knew her well enough to glean every drop of juicy details that she might have withheld from them.

When Acxa finished, Rian leaned back in his seat, his arms behind his head. “So you finally confessed your decaphoeebs’ long love to the _Keith_ guy?”

“The change of the Blue Paladin is the more important incident, Rian,” she chided.

“We heard you, Acxa.” Merla wriggled her fingers at her, waving off her concerns. “The Blue Lion chose you. We are proud of you--”

She was taken aback. _Proud of me?_ “The Blue Lion rightly belongs to Princess Allura, your Princess, not to me.”

“Look, Allura might be our Princess, but you are our friend. And we are proud that the Blue Lion found you worthy of being its Paladin.”

“You are part of Voltron now,” added Rian. “ _The_ Voltron! You should be proud of yourself as well.”

Acxa was feeling far from that, but said nothing. “So...,” Merla leaned in conspiratorially. “What exactly did you say to Mister-Hot-and-Messy-Hair?”

She felt herself blushing and tried her best to hide it. “I am not quoting the exact wordings. And it doesn’t matter anyways. He was clearly uncomfortable. He doesn’t like me, not that I care about it.” _What was I even thinking that tick? That he will be happy and accept me?_

“Okay, so let me make this clear.” Rian sat forward in his beanbag, his fingers interlaced over his knees and face set like a wise teacher. “You say to a guy that you like him and he keeps quiet, and you take it as a no?”

“Well, he looked rather shocked. As though he couldn’t believe what I said. He might not have seen my confession coming. He must have wanted to keep it professional between us and I ruined everything.”

“My dear stupid Galra lady--”

“Hey!”

“My dear stupid Galra lady,” he continued, unaffected by her protest. “Did you even think from his point of view? Yes, he absolutely would not have seen your confession coming. Imagine a beautiful girl coming up to you and saying she likes you! If I were him, my brain would have short-circuited. Look, don’t fret yourself too much over this. If I have to bet, he will come to you tonight and tell how he feels.”

Merla giggled. “Wow, Rian giving free love advice! I thought you had a crush on Acxa. Shouldn’t you be kind of glad if Keith rejects her?”

“Rejects her, pfft!” He threw up his hands. “He likes her a lot. I recognized this from that one moment these two were standing together. And yeah, I never play a losing game in the lovebiz. So,” he shrugged nonchalantly. “I gave up on her. But of course, I will be always your friend, Acxa. If Keith ever hurts you in any way, I will be the first to break his neck.”

Acxa genuinely smiled at his words. He was much more pleasant to talk to when he was not continually flirting with her. “I don’t think that is necessary--”

“Yeah, Rian.” Merla broke in, laughing. “And you won’t be the first to break his neck. It will be Acxa!”

When the three of them started to laugh, her day became much better. All of a sudden, she noticed Lance’s sister standing outside the slightly open door. _Is she eavesdropping on us?_

After Rian and Merla were called away to the sick bay, Acxa was left alone again. She decided to spend the rest of the evening at the shooting range aboard the Atlas. Shooting always calmed her mind.

She had finished hitting three of the seven virtual targets when she perceived another presence beside her. _Veronica. Again._

Veronica had wedged herself into the very booth in which she was practicing and was aiming at the remaining four targets meant for her. _Those are my targets, lady! Back off! Can’t you use the adjacent booth if you want to practice?_

She thrust her gun into her pocket before confronting Veronica for her actions. “I know you have little trust for me, but your constant presence is tiresome. If you have a problem, let’s end it now.”

The girl widened her eyes as if shocked by her words. “Acxa, it is not that I don’t trust you.”

“Then what is it?”

Veronica holstered her gun before answering, “Honestly? I just wanted to get to know you.”

Acxa scoffed internally. “By sneaking upon me at a firing range?”

“I didn’t sneak upon you,” she protested. _This girl has the nerves to deny what she did?!_

“Only because I am always aware of my surroundings.”

Veronica frowned in frustration. “Look, I am sorry that I may have been following you around. It just...seems like you can use a friend.” She shrugged lightly and continued, “I know it can be hard to fit in sometimes.”

Acxa glanced at the unfinished targets. “I have spent my entire life not fitting in. I was always an outcast, born and bred in war. I am used to it.”

“Right. I don’t care what you might have done in your past.” She smiled at her. “I guess I wanna get to know the Acxa who turned her life around.”

She took a deep breath and turned to leave. _I am sorry but I have no wish to discuss my personal life with people I hardly know._ “The booth is yours.”

Kicked out of all the places, Acxa went out for a stroll on the planet Ryker. Everyone seemed to be busy—Kolivan, Krolia, Keith, the Alteans and even Syra. _Why am I the only one so jobless? Or, is everyone actively avoiding me?_ Except for Veronica, who seemed to be as jobless as her.

Her legs brought her to a viewpoint on the planet, from where she could observe the whole valley below— the red trees and the purple lakes. She inhaled deeply in the night breeze and sat down under a tree.

Her conversation with Veronica had the most unfortunate effect on her. She began to relive all the old memories from her childhood, those which she had neatly locked away into the deepest recess of her mind. _The quintant she had been stowed away on a Galra cruiser. The quintant she was caught and thrown into a detention cell. The phoeebs she spent teaching herself to perfect her precision in shooting and practicing with the small pieces of junk she found in the cell._

She was pulled out from the flood of her terrible memories by a familiar voice. “Acxa?”

It was Keith. He stood some distance away, in his Red Garrison Uniform and shifting uncomfortably from one leg to another. “Uh, can I talk to you for a minute?”

She wanted to say no, that she wanted to be alone. But she guessed he might want to discuss something important with her. So she nodded her head and waved him to the ground beside her.

He sat down carefully and rubbed his palms on his trousers. “Um...so, did you have your—your dinner?”

“Yes.” _Why is he stammering so much for a single sentence?_

“Oh,” he exhaled, not looking at her face. “I had my dinner too. The food was quite bland, wasn’t it?”

“I agree.” _Did he come here to talk about food?_ “I assumed I was the only one who felt so.”

“Hunk said he was going to give some culinary lessons to his friends at the Vrepit Sal’s tonight. So, hopefully, breakfast will be tastier tomorrow.”

“Good.” Acxa didn’t know what else to say. As for Keith, he was oozing awkwardness. He kept fidgeting in his place every ten ticks and pulling at the bangs that hung low over his gorgeous eyes. “Are you okay? You look anxious.”

“Do I?” He chuckled weakly. “I-I guess I am. I wanted to tell you something, Acxa. No, actually, two things.”

“Hmm, what is it?”

He took a long breath to calm himself. “It’s about the Blue Lion. Any idea as to why she chose you as her new Paladin?”

“I am not really sure,” she answered. “I suppose since we couldn’t form Voltron with me in the Blue Lion, it will revert back to the original Paladin once the Princess wakes. Perhaps, I am only a temporary substitute for her.”

“Perhaps.” He didn’t sound quite happy about that. “But the Lions don’t change their Paladin without some strong reason. Once this is done, it’s difficult and risky to force the Lion to take in another or even take back its old Paladin. I have personally experienced this with the Black Lion.”

“Oh.” _That isn’t good._

He cleared his throat. “So, if you have to continue to pilot Blue, will you be okay with that? I, for one, will be really happy if you accept the position of the Blue Paladin. Honestly...I _want_ you on the team. I don’t know exactly why, but I feel so much more comfortable with you.”

Acxa was speechless. _He wants me on the team?_ All through her life, she was used to being unwanted and easily disposable. She was not wanted in her mother’s side—because she was Galra. And not in her father’s side—because she was not full Galra.

The only memories she had of her mother were her screams that she had birthed a Galran monster. She desperately wanted to get rid of Acxa. For, her mother believed that she will destroy them all.

Her father, she never knew. All she knew was that he was a vile Galra commander who conquered planets and took women as prizes of his conquests. Maybe, he was still alive. Maybe, he was dead. She didn’t care.

After Lotor rescued her from her prison, he had been her only hope of survival for a long time. Although she knew she was useful to him only till her intellect and battle proficiency were intact, Acxa was happy. She had a means to live honorably and not in the shame of her half-Galra lineage.

When she returned to their base after her near-death experience in the Weblum, she was not particularly surprised to see that Lotor already started to scout for a new general. Though he was relieved on her return, she realized the glaring fact that even for Lotor, she was easily replaceable.

She rose to her feet and walked to edge of the cliff, trying to drown out her foreign emotions in the strong wind blowing into her face. They bubbled on the surface, threatening to boil over. _This is all Keith’s fault._ _What is he doing to me? He makes me smile, makes me feel better, makes me blush in spite of myself. And now, for the first time in my life, I feel like tearing up._

“Acxa?” He walked up to where she was standing. “Are you okay?”

She shook her head. “I can’t imagine why you would want me to pilot the Blue Lion instead of the Princess. She is the face of the Coalition. I am a supposedly ruthless Galran murderer who has no sense of honor or morals according to some people. Won’t it be a disadvantage if I remain a part of Voltron?”

He gingerly took her hand. She winced at how deformed her claws looked compared to his calloused fingers. “I don’t know who told you all this,” he said, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. “But we, the Galra, we are not murderers; we are warriors. And you are the most honorable and bravest of all the warriors I’ve ever met. You are gonna be an excellent Paladin, Acxa. I trust you that you always got my back.”

The hot ball of tears slowly melted in her throat. “You have a way with your words, Keith. This is how you inspire your team?”

“Not exactly.” He laughed softly. “I am really bad with motivational talks, you know. I knew that I had to say this to you. Moreover, it is one of the few things I strongly believe.”

She smiled with him. “What else do you strongly believe in?”

“Hmm? That you _did_ steal something other than scaultrite?”

Her smile immediately turned into a scowl. “What?! What did I steal? The teludav from Throk’s base? Look, I was only following Lotor’s orders. It is not like--”

“No, my heart.”

For a long tick, she stood stunned at his words and watched as his face changed from delight to confusion to embarrassed blushing when it dawned on him what he just blurted out. She could control herself no longer. She doubled over laughing till tears flowed down her cheeks. She heard his protests in the background but she could hardly stop.

Finally, she straightened to her feet. “Keith,” she wheezed. “I have heard that very dialogue in many of those unforgivably cringe-worthy soap operas that Ezor and Narti used to watch. I can’t believe that someone used the same line on me!”

“Hey!” He pouted in complaint but it was so adorable that she had to do everything she could, to not break out into another bout of laughter. “Lance kind of taught me that line. I know it’s downright cringey. But, hey, at least you laughed!”

“Right.” She took a deep breath. “So, did you mean what you said or was it just a joke to make me laugh?”

He took a step forward. The wind was blowing his heady scent into her. He was so close to her that she started to notice the small details on his face like how jagged the scar on his right cheek was. How thick his eyelashes were. How they brushed against his cheek when his eyes were closed.

And then, she realized that he was actually kissing her.

Before she could gather her thoughts to respond, his long eyelashes fluttered against her cheek and she heard a sharp intake of breath.

He pulled away, utter shock written all over his face. “Holy Quiznack! Acxa, I didn’t mean to kiss you. I was—I was standing here. And then, I don’t know and then—”

The first sentence echoed in her mind. _He didn’t mean to kiss me. It was only a mistake. Huh, why would he want to kiss me? Of course, he--_

“No, no.” He interrupted her thoughts. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that I didn’t mean to _kiss_ you. I didn’t mean that I didn’t mean to kiss _you_. What the quiznack am I even saying? Acxa, listen, I am so sorry. I—I don’t know what came over me. You are a girl I respect and like so much and I just tried to—I mean you said so and I didn’t even ask you, but I only—I don’t--”

Nothing he said made any sense to her but she had listened enough to know that he liked her back. _That is enough._ She pressed her lips to his chapped ones, effectively shutting him up. _I want this as much as you do._

He stilled a tick before responding. Then, he put his arms around her waist to pull her closer and deepened their kiss, matching hers at first, quickly outpacing her and rendered her breathless. She raked her claws through his lush hair, trying to keep up with him. After what felt like an eternity, they reluctantly pulled away from each other. She bit her lower lip to savor the tingle from the kiss that remained.

“Acxa?” His voice was thick. He was obviously as affected as her. “I love you.”

All her worries, self-doubt and shame washed away, replaced by overflowing love for the man standing before her. She was ready to die for him if the need arises.

She put her arms around his neck and sighed against his lips. “I love you too.”

That moment, which felt like a fragile glass that could be broken by a tiniest whisper, harshly shattered into a million fragments by a mixture of voices behind them. The two of them jumped apart. She quickly pulled up her hooded mask to hide her face. But Keith was not so lucky.

The newcomers were Hunk, Lance and the leader of the MFE pilots.

“Dude, we have been searching all over the place for you,” Hunk complained. “And you are on this— Um...what were doing here?”

Keith raised his eyebrow. “Nothing. Just digging the ground. For...pebbles?” He cleared his throat. “What—why are you here?”

The leader crossed his arms over his chest. “Warlord Lahn called for us. Perhaps,” he smirked. “Once you finish... _picking pebbles_ , you can join us at the base.”

Lance waved his hand at him. “Yeah, and wipe that lipstick off your face before you join us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if Keith and Acxa are OOC at the end, but it is their first kiss so, I guess it is okay? Haha!
> 
> BTW I don't have anything against any of the Veracxa platonic or romantic shippers or against the ship itself. I just don't ship this cuz I really can't figure out Veronica. I understand that she is supposedly this badass strong female character who can shoot well, drive through rough terrains, a main character's tough sister and we are all supposed to love her. All this, I understand perfectly. 
> 
> What I don't understand is this: So, she says to Acxa: '...must be a pretty different dynamic being we don't try to kill each other...' cuz she thinks the Galra are all a bunch of killers and Acxa is one among them. The fact is that Acxa has canonically not killed even a single person as far as I remember. (In S3E2 she had even given clear instructions to her team to not kill anyone.) If I were Acxa, I won't wanna be friends with someone who judges me without facts, but yeah, whatever.
> 
> Aaannd...*rolls eyes* she wants Lance to put in a good word for her so that she could go on a date with Keith...who is also Galra, and whose kill rate is 100%: 3 druids. Sendak. Hepta (technically, coz he guided Black that way) and even clone Shiro (technically, coz the clone was dead after that battle and they reinserted real Shiro's essence back into the clone's body).
> 
> So, what exactly is your point, Veronica??


	11. The Monster of the Abyss

“So, how was it?”

Keith had come up to his room aboard the Atlas to change into his Paladin armor before heading to Lahn’s base. Unfortunately, the three boys had followed him into his room, mercilessly teasing him all along the way and now, lying around in his room. Lance had asked him the same question a hundred times, by now, in a hundred different voice modulations.

“How was...what?” he asked, trying to keep the exasperation out of his voice and feign ignorance in spite of knowing exactly what he was asking.

“You know...the kiss?” Lance snickered softly. “Was it soft, hot... _moist_?”

“LANCE!”

The other two started to laugh at his outburst. “Aww!” Hunk clasped his hands together. “Look at who is blushing!” _You too, Hunk?!_

“I am not blushing.” Keith gritted his teeth. Frankly, he didn’t know. His cheeks felt so hot that he guessed he could boil eggs over them. He turned his back to them and busied himself in fastening the different pieces of his armor rather than thinking about how his perfect evening with Acxa was ruined by these boys.

James was standing by the door, his arms crossed and smirking at his torture. “I was only coming to terms with the fact that Keith is an alien. Now, he has an alien girlfriend? Wow!”

“Keith and you were classmates, right?” Hunk asked. “Like before our Garrison days?”

“Yep.” He thrust his hands into his pockets. “Ina, Keith and I were the only ones accepted from our school into the Garrison. So, we have known each other for...what? Twelve years, now?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Keith mentally rolled his eyes at the guy’s attempts to show that they were close. Back in his school days, Griffin had done nothing but bully him at every chance he got. “Though we were never friends. I had to put up with his presence in my class every day.”

Griffin wanted to argue, but Hunk changed the subject. “Lance, come on. Stop teasing him. It must have been the first time he experienced something like this, unlike you.”

“Unlike me? What do you mean?”

“You know, first love and stuff like that. But you already had some three—four girlfriends before...so this won’t be a big deal for you, right? What was her name again? Jenny Shaybon?”

“Hunk, shut up!” Lance was visibly angry. “Jenny was never my girlfriend. I never had a girlfriend before.”

“Oh, come on. You know that’s a lie.”

“But it isn’t. I flirted with a lot of girls, yeah, but I never went on a proper date with any of them. Till Allura.”

Hunk was surprised. “Really? So, Allura is your first girlfriend?”

“No, she isn’t. She said she didn’t want to date me. More like she isn’t over Lotor yet...so, didn’t want to break my heart giving me false hopes. Yeah, something in the lines of that.”

The room fell silent on hearing Lance’s words. _Allura is still hurting over Lotor?_ She always acted as though she had completely recovered from his betrayal and ready as ever to fight in the war. _She masks her true feelings so easily._

“Anyways, Keith?” Lance glanced up at him ruefully. “You one-upped me here as well. I always thought that I owned the romance department. For all my flirting, I’ve never kissed a girl in my life.”

He bit back a smirk. _He never left behind his useless competitions against me, did he?_ “Let’s get down to the Base, guys.”

Keith entered the Base, closely followed by Hunk, Lance and the MFE pilots. Everyone was already gathered for the crucial meeting with Warlord Lahn. Matt and Pidge were watching the main control panel and discussing something with one of the Galra soldiers. Acxa stood with other Blades in one corner of the room. She gave him a tiny nod as he entered. _Don’t blush, Keith!_

“Keith,” Kolivan rose from his seat. “Good you are here. We were in the midst of discussing a problem that has arisen. We are receiving a distress signal from Warlord Lahn’s fleet.”

Lahn led them to the control panel on which the Holt siblings were working. A single distorted message repeated over and over in a loop. “Yordam Bering Exus.”

“Yordam Bering Exus?”

“It’s an emergency protocol built into the sentries when they are under distress,” Lahn explained and pointed to the sketch of a Galra cruiser. “From the comm. signature the Green Paladin has obtained, I recognize the ship as Klytax V-3 which is among one of the fifteen ships I sent on an assignment six phoeebs ago. They all disappeared. We assumed them dead.”

“Turns out they were not dead after all,” Kolivan said. “Keith, perhaps Voltron can go to the coordinates to investigate what happened with Lahn’s fleet and rescue the survivors.”

Keith understood the underlying meaning of his statement. _If Voltron succeeds in this mission, Lahn would have no choice but to ally with us._ “Sure, we will--”

“Voltron is going to save the Galra?” Lahn sneered disbelievingly. “My fleet would never believe that Voltron was there to help. They would fight you until their last breath.”

“That’s why you are coming with us.”

Warlord Lahn had carefully perched himself on one of the panels in the cockpit of the Black Lion. Keith was amused at Kosmo’s lack of trust for him. He kept growling softly at Lahn despite his word that he was a friend.

Lahn was clearly uncomfortable with a large wolf sniffing at his legs so Keith tried to strike a conversation with him. “What was this fleet’s mission when they left?”

“I sent them out to salvage weapons from an abandoned Galra base. The Galra Empire was at war with itself and we had to do what we could to survive.”

He hummed thoughtfully. _Which abandoned base did he send his troops to loot?_

Presently, the Lions arrived at the source of the distress signal. He could see nothing but large debris floating in open space. Judging from the damage done to the cruisers, it wasn’t the result of any ordinary battle. _A Robeast, perhaps?_

“Guys, I am not detecting any signs of life or biorhythms on the closest two ships,” Pidge stated her observations. “But there are some signals coming from the ship at the end.”

Lahn leaned in to take a closer look at the feed on the console. “That’s Klytax V-3, where the call came from.”

Keith opened a hailing frequency to the ship. “Hailing Galra cruiser Klytax V-3. This is Keith, Paladin of the Black Lion of Voltron. Do you copy?”

After a brief pause, Lahn spoke into the comm. “This is Warlord Lahn, your commander. Do you copy?”

The only reply they got was the same distorted message they had obtained at the Base. “Yordam Bering Exus.”

“Whoever is in there, we need to find them and get them out.”

“If I can access the ship’s security network, I should be able to find out what happened here,” Pidge suggested.

Keith put his hand on his wolf, motioning Lahn to do the same. “Paladins, Lahn and I are gonna head in first to make sure the entry point is safe. You guys jetpack in behind us.”

“Copy.”

A second later, they were teleported into the hangar of the abandoned cruiser Klytax V-3. There was no one inside, only darkness and floating containers. “We are all clear. Lahn, open the airlock doors.”

Once the other Paladins had reached their position, Keith asked, “Pidge, are you picking up any signals?”

She was checking the live map of the cruiser on her gauntlet computer. “There are multiple biorhythms, but they are intermittent, almost random. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Okay, we will need to split up to find any survivors.” Keith turned to the boys. “Hunk and Lance, clear the aft of the ship. I’ll take the bow and work my way towards you.”

“On it.”

Next, he turned to the girls. “Pidge and Acxa, take Lahn to go through the security logs.”

“Copy.”

However, Lahn was not pleased with the arrangement. “I do not like taking orders on my own ship.”

Keith narrowed his eyes. “Duly noted.”

They made it to the main control room after maneuvering through a sea of destroyed sentries and packets of food goo. Warlord Lahn placed his palm on the console. The system glowed purple, recognizing his Galra signature. But a red symbol beeped on the screen. “It’s useless! The ship is in lockdown and the systems can’t be rebooted. We’ll need to contact my base for the security keys.”

“Okay.” Pidge moved forward to the console. “Or we can just do this.”

She pressed some buttons on her sleeve computer to hack into the system. A matrix of three cross three camera feeds popped up on the screen. Acxa smiled at her genius, which Keith had many a times mentioned to her. Lahn seemed rather chagrined at having been outsmarted by a little girl.

Pidge clicked on one thumbnail to expand it to a full, blurry image. “What’s wrong with it?”

She shook her head. “I am not sure. It appears to be corrupted. Let me see if I can clear this up.”

Keith roamed through the aisles of the cruiser, trying to find out any clue about what had happened. All he could find were limbs of the sentries floating around in the no-gravity condition. They seemed to have been ripped apart from the joints for no apparent reason.

The more bizarre fact was that the escape pods were still intact in their hangars. _Why didn’t the Galra escape in one of these? Did they stay back to fight or...were they killed before they could react?_

Also, he found the remains of tens of robot sentries but no remains of the Galra soldiers. It was like...they had just vanished without a trace. “What could have done this?”

His wolf stayed close to him. He could feel his frightened thoughts in his mind. _I don’t like this place. It is scary._ “It’s okay, buddy. I am here.” _Why are there heads and wrists floating around? This is downright creepy. Let’s get back to the lion. Whoa, look there!_

Keith raised his sleeve torch to where Kosmo was pointing with his snout. A gigantic hole had been melted right through all the layers of the hull. _What kind of weapon could create damage on this scale?_ He could think of none. Even Honerva’s Robeasts would probably not be able to heft up enough power to create such a wide hole.

He heard a soft sound as if someone was knocking on the wall. _Someone is here. They are approaching. To my right?!_ He gasped and wheeled around, the torch above his head, his Bayard ready in his hand. But... _nothing is here. The same torn limbs, the same hole in the hull, the same debris. I am not hallucinating, am I?_

The knocking grew incessant. He focused on the sound and swam his way through the junk to its source. He cautiously peeped around the corner, his shield drawn up in case he got ambushed by something. His eyes widened in horror as he took in the scene.

A lone sentry was stuck in between the jaws of a partially opened door. It was struggling to pull itself out which caused the mechanical knocking he had heard.

However, what horrified Keith was not the sentry. Giant claw marks had been raked across the door. _What animal has such enormous claws?_

As his eyes became more accustomed to the dark, he could make out similar claw marks on the wall as well as on the floor. His sleeve monitor captured the image of the claw and output him the relevant information based on its variables. _If the claws of a single paw of an animal are this huge, it must be at least five times bigger than me. It isn’t any ordinary animal; it must be a gigantic monster. Plus, it can shoot laser beams from its mouth?_

His heart palpitated faster partly from fear of what was lurking in the dark around him and partly from the adrenaline pumping into his body, readying him to fight whatever it might be.

Just then, he noticed an operational sentry in front of him.

“What. Are. You?” it asked in its usual robotic monotone.

Warlord Lahn stepped to the window of the control room. As Pidge was still working on rectifying the images, Acxa decided to join a despondent Lahn who was gazing out at the ruins of his fifteen cruisers that drifted outside.

He sighed deeply. “Everything I have spent decaphoeebs fighting for, taken away in an instant.”

She couldn’t relate to him for she never had anything worth fighting for. From her experience of life, nothing stayed with her for long. Her mother, Ezor, Zethrid, Narti, Kova or even Lotor. At the end, everyone deserted her. She was so used to it now that if anyone told her that they will stay with her no matter what, she would probably laugh in their face.

“Warlord Lahn, I understand how you feel. But, regret is never the Galra way. All we can do now is put aside the dire situation--”

“You never had to earn power. It was always given to you!” he broke in, furiously. “Lotor and Haggar showed favoritism and made you their general despite the fact that you are a half-breed and didn’t serve the Empire for as long as any of us.”

The Galra always thought that the four of them had it easy being Lotor’s generals. Only she knew how strenuously she had worked to keep her position. Before she could say anything in her defense, he spoke up again, “Even so, I had always imagined that you are most loyal to Lotor, if not to the Empire. I am quite surprised to see that you have readily joined the Coalition. Do you really believe they will not betray the Galra once the war is over and slaughter us as they have always done?”

She realized that he was actually asking her unbiased opinion on the subject. _Perhaps, he is considering joining the Coalition._ “I do not speak for them before Keith took full charge as the leader of Voltron. But after...I can absolutely vouch for them. They offer us a way to abandon our futile wars that will only drive us to the brink of extinction. In a way, they really need us for our superior military expertise in bringing peace and stability to the weaker sections of the Universe. Like how the Galra lived ten thousand decaphoeebs ago.”

Just then, Pidge called out to them. “Guys, I think I found something.”

She pulled up the feed from one of the cameras on to the full screen. “The soldier is here, but after the flash, he's gone.”

The video showed a solitary sentry standing in the line of vision of the camera, a grainy flash and then, the sentry disappeared. This repeated on a loop. “But now the shadow behind the soldier is on the other side of the screen.”

Acxa studied the problem. “Perhaps it's from another soldier.”

“I don't think so. That's less than a tenth of a second.” Pidge cropped the picture of the shadow and ran it through a series of simulations. “It looks like the trajectory of the lighting angles combined with the proximity to the soldier is distorting the shadow's shape.”

The calculations finished in a tick. The screen displayed the actual object whose shadow the camera had captured. _A creature with four clawed limbs and a tail?_

Warlord Lahn asked the very question Acxa was asking herself. “What is that thing?!”

“We need to warn the others about the monster immediately. I will contact Lance and Hunk. Acxa, you try to contact Keith.”

Pidge hastily opened her helmet comm. link to the others. Acxa sifted through the numerous live feed thumbnails, searching for Keith. “We need to get out of here as soon as we can.”

“But we cannot leave this thing on a rampage here,” Acxa said, not looking back. “We must destroy it before we leave.”

“Yeah, you are right, but—oh, I got connected to them.” Pidge cleared her throat. “Guys, be on the lookout for a deadly monster. We believe it's what attacked the crew. Avoid at all costs.”

They didn’t get any reply from them. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t know,” Pidge raised her voice a bit. “Lance, Hunk, do you copy?”

Again, static. All of a sudden, the terrified screams of the two boys filled the room, chilling them to their bones. _Ancients, did the monster kill them as well?_ “Guys, are you okay?! Lance? Hunk?”

One dobosh later came in their breathless replies. “We're okay.”

As Pidge tried to zero in on their location, Acxa anxiously called out to Keith. “Keith, we just contacted Lance and Hunk. They saw something. Be advised...” The connection cut off abruptly. “Keith? Keith, can you hear me?”

“What. Are. You?”

Keith wasn’t sure what to make of its question. “My name is Keith, leader of Voltron, Paladin of the Black Lion.” _If this one is a fully functional robot, could it be that this was the one sending the distress signal?_ “Yordam bering exus. Is that you?”

Apparently, the sentry was not programmed to answer his questions. It simply moved on to the next question. “Where are the rest of the Galra?”

He was confused. _The rest of the Galra?_ “They're still on planet Ryker. Why?”

_“_ Planet Ryker,” it repeated. Before he could process what was happening, the robot was flung away.

The robot had never been alive. It was merely a puppet for the monster looming behind it.

The two boys floated into the room in a daze. “Are you two okay?”

Lance nodded and gulped, “Yeah, we're fine, but we need to get out of here now!”

Hunk was still wheezing from whatever he had faced. “Monster...Ah. Blue flash. Almost died. I got rotten food goo.”

“Wait, where's Keith?”

“Keith and I were in communication right before we got disconnected,” Acxa replied, tapping on the console partly in worry and partly in hope that she might somehow get reconnected to Keith. “It must have been that thing. You said you saw the creature?”

Lance threw up his hands in fright. “Oh, yeah! Face-to-horrifying-face!”

Lahn, who had been listening to their conversation in silence till now, cut in impatiently, “We just watched that thing take out one of my men in an instant. How did you two manage to escape unscathed?”

Before he could answer, the entire ship came online. “What's happening now?!”

“The ship's moving...and it's headed towards Lahn's base!”

The monster was more hideous than any of the creatures Keith had seen in the Quantum Abyss. With an eyeless misshapen face, a mouth full of large canines and four giant arms with tens of claws on each, it had an almost humanoid upper torso, whereas the lower torso consisted of two massive clawed legs and a tail full of spikes.

It let out a loud roar, a stream of purple energy coursing through its body. _It is doped on Quintessence? Wait, could this monster be...the super weapon designed by Ranveig? The one we let loose the other day? The one that destroyed Trugg and her fleet?_

While he was distracted by the series of questions that flooded his mind, it opened its mouth to fire a large intense beam at him.

Instinctively, he pulled up his shield. It shattered within a second of impact and he was thrown to the far end of the aisle. Thankfully, his armor bore the shock of impact. He tried to inhale slowly and recover his senses.

But the monster was too fast. It fired another beam which barely missed him and melted off the entire metal at the place he stood a moment ago. _There is no way I can fight this monster with a sword. Kosmo? We need to get to the control room now!_

It opened its mouth for yet another blast. Keith was still fumbling with his Bayard to defend himself, when he felt the familiar glitter of teleporting cloud around him.

The rest of the Paladins were already gathered in the control room. Hunk rushed to him as soon as he entered the room. “Oh, Keith! Good, you're here. There's a monster on the ship!”

There was no time to waste. _If the monster is the same as that on Ranveig’s base, then we are doomed._ “Warlord Lahn, the base you sent this fleet to plunder, was it Warlord Ranveig's?”

“Yes, it was. Why?”

“Unbelievable.” _My worst fears have come true. How do we destroy this monster before it goes to planet Ryker and wreaks havoc there?_

“Keith, what's going on?” Acxa ventured. It was then he realized that he owed an explanation to his team and Lahn.

“The creature on this ship is a superweapon designed by Ranveig to destroy the Galra, and only Galra.”

Lahn started to protest. “Warlord Ranveig would never create such a thing.”

“Ranveig found the creature in the Quantum Abyss and experimented on it with Lotor's Quintessence,” Keith continued, unaffected by his protests. “He trained it to take out his Galran enemies, but...he could never control it. The beast couldn't differentiate between adversaries and allies.”

Lance shook his head in disbelief. “Wait, how do you know so much about this super-monster-weapon-thingy?”

“Because Krolia and I let it loose so we could escape Ranveig's base.” Keith stared at the ground. _I am the one responsible for the death of so many Galra soldiers._ “This is all my fault. I'm sorry.”

Everyone was silent for a moment. Lahn clenched his fists. Perhaps, he wanted to shout at him but he stopped himself.

Keith sighed heavily. “Pidge, can you initiate the self-destruct protocol? We need to destroy this ship and the monster with it. And we need to do it immediately.”

“Okay, I'm on it.” She swiftly typed on the console. “Once I initiate, we'll have two doboshes to exit the ship.”

“Two hours?” Lance blurted out. “Isn’t that too long?”

“Minutes!”

“What? That’s not enough time!”

Finally, the caricature of a cackling Pidge appeared on the screen. “It’s done. Let’s move!”

Keith had to agree with Lance. Two doboshes was indeed not enough time for them to escape.

For, the beast had already materialized in the control room. It muttered an ominous threat. “All Galra must perish.”

Its first target was the full-blooded Galra, Lahn. Pidge managed to pull him out of the line of fire with her Bayard whip. “Paladins, we need to exit the room right now!”

The beast blocked their way. It grabbed Kosmo before he could teleport them out. The poor wolf whimpered in pain and struggled to free from its grasp. Hunk shot at the monster in its face, momentarily blinding it to release his wolf.

They dashed to the door; Lance, Hunk with an injured Kosmo and Pidge in the front and the Galra bringing up the rear. It was a mistake. As soon as the first three had passed, the door slammed shut. _Quiznack!_

He heard Lance’s urgent voice outside. “Pidge, how much time before the ship explodes?”

“60 ticks. We need to get them out of there!” 

The door creaked open slightly obeying Pidge’s commands. Before any of them could escape, it shut down again. “That thing overrode my protocol!”

“We can take it down with our bayards.” His friends started to fire at the door with their guns, but Keith knew it was futile. Their weapons didn’t have enough firepower to crash a thick door. “Keith! We're coming for you! Stand away from the door!”

The monster had recovered from its momentary loss of sight and returned fully incensed with the sole intention of killing them. Keith charged with his sword only for it to whip him to the wall with its tail. It turned around to attack Warlord Lahn again. This time, Acxa dragged him away with her sleeve whip. _Neither of them have any weapons?_

He immediately rushed to them and drew his shield to protect them. They huddled behind it as the creature fired again.

“Keith, this won’t do,” Acxa cried. “I’ll distract it! You stab it from behind.”

“What?! Acxa, no--”

He couldn’t even see her face but he knew exactly what she was thinking. _Protecting Lahn is the top priority. She thinks she isn’t important._ She rushed out from behind the shield and drew the monster’s attention to her. _No, no! This isn’t happening. There is no way I can stab such a huge creature with my sword. It’s gonna kill Acxa!_

A feeling of utter helplessness filled his heart. Was he destined to stand and watch as a monster vaporized his girlfriend?

Suddenly, he felt his Bayard tingle in his hand, transforming into a powerful cannon. He swallowed hard and fired it sideways at the creature.

A lot of things happened in the next one second. The creature sensed the blast directed towards it and tried to move aside. It was too late. It couldn’t resist the high intensity of the laser and got melted into the panel behind it.

Both Lahn and Acxa were stunned at what he did. Even, Keith was wondering how he summoned this form of his Bayard. “Hurry! I have bought us only a few seconds. Paladins!” He aimed his weapon at the door. “Clear the hallway. We are coming through.”

The blast from the cannon melted off a large section of the door, large enough for them to escape. “Let’s go!”

“Ten ticks!” Pidge shouted frantically. It was a race against time. “The cargo bay where we entered is the nearest exit point.”

They heard a loud noise behind them. _The beast! It is still alive?!_ All of them pushed their jetpacks to the max thrust. “Five ticks! We'll never make it!”

Keith wasn’t ready to give up so easily. _There is no way I am dying in here, or letting any of you._ As the last resort, he fired his cannon on the sides of the ship. As it did with the door of the control room, it sliced into the metal and cut open a wide hole for them to be sucked out into space. The creature tried to follow them but a container got sucked into the hole, effectively blocking it.

And then, everything exploded.

The explosion was so powerful that they would have got flung far away into space, maybe a few light-years away, had it not been for their Lions.

The mission was a success.

Lahn graciously agreed to join the Voltron Coalition, apparently having been impressed by the bravery and the credibility of the Paladins. The Galra assembled on the Ryker Base to listen to their leader’s historic speech, hailing in a new era of peace and unity in the Universe.

_“The Galra Empire may be decimated, but its warriors are still needed...”_

However, his eyes were searching for Acxa. Keith desperately wanted to talk to her after their near-death experience in the cruiser. He spotted her standing with the Blades.

He crept towards her, trying to draw least attention to himself. She gave him a small smile when he got to her.

“Hi!” he whispered. She glanced doubtfully at the stage where Lahn was delivering his speech.

_“...have risked their lives for me, and yet I questioned...”_

“Thank you,” she whispered back. “You saved my life.”

“I owed you one. You know, for the Weblum.”

She giggled softly. “It is always the Weblum, isn’t it?”

_“...loyalty to a united front with the Voltron Coalition...”_

But then, he remembered something. “Acxa, how can you come unarmed to a dangerous mission?” he hissed. “You should have brought some weapon with you.”

“I didn’t know this mission would turn out to be so dangerous. I thought we could use the Lions to fight. Plus, I told you I lost my blade.”

“Yeah, but you could have—what about your Bayard? Why didn’t you have your Bayard with you?”

She frowned in confusion. “Bayard?”

_“...encourage you all to do the same!”_

“Yeah, you know this?” He shifted his helmet to his left hand and summoned his Bayard to his right. It extended to his usual broadsword.

And that moment went down as one of the epic bloopers of his life and of the Galran history for many years to come.

The entire assembly went dead silent. They were all probably wondering as to why he had suddenly drawn his sword. He felt thousands of eyes at him—some curious looks, some glares and some bated breaths at what he was going to do next. He gingerly raised his sword.

Instantly, the crowds broke out into cheers and hysterical applause. Acxa gave him a sidelong knowing look. He shrugged in response for even he had no idea what was going on around him, but at least the Galra seemed to be happy at his gesture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Allura doesn't make an appearance yet, I know, because she is not really required in Galran politics. Yeah, now that the Galra side has a proper closure, we can move on to Allura's arc from next chapter onwards.


	12. Genesis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your suggestions for the Blue Bayard: StoryTeller_a_fanfic_lover and Guyantic_Guyver! 
> 
> Just to make a few things clear; this chapter and the next two chapters will be the pre-finale arc before the final battle. So, mostly focusing on war preparations, intel collecting etc. etc. The last four chapters will cover the actual battle between the Paladins and Allura against Honerva. This chapter is hugely important in that respect, but well, it is kind of an info dump chapter. Also, all the technical jargon used in this chapter are just made up fantasy words, no real-life meaning or importance for them. 
> 
> Happy reading!

Allura had never been afraid of darkness. Perhaps, it was because she had never faced _true_ darkness before. The darkness of the Infinite Void. It was truly terrifying to be forever frozen in midst of where space-time, gravity or light held no meaning.

All of a sudden, she heard a soft whisper. _Allura._

She gasped and wheeled around, trying to track the source of the voice. _Mother?_

“Allura.” _She is not my mother._ This time, a little higher than a whisper. _Face me instead of lurking in the shadows._

“Allura!” The woman chanted loudly. _Honerva!_ “Allu—”

She sat up on her bed, breathing heavily. “—ura, are you okay?”

It was Lance. _What is Lance doing in my room?_ Coran stood next to him. When her senses started to work properly again, she realized that the room was not her own. Neither was it the one allotted to her in the Garrison. She glanced down to find herself in hospital garbs. “What’s going on? Where am I?”

“You are in the medbay aboard the Atlas,” Lance answered. “We found you collapsed on the ground the evening before the launch. You’ve been asleep for ten days.” _Ten quintants? The time in the Void hardly felt like ten doboshes._

Coran looked like he had aged another six hundred decaphoeebs. The bags under his eyes were more pronounced than ever. “The entity, it’s missing. Did you...?”

She opened her palm to feel the dark energy churning inside her. “I did what needed to be done. This entity is connected to Honerva. I believe we can use it.”

“Allura.” He shook his head sadly. “I swore to your father that I would look after you, but I fear I may have let him down. This is the path of darkness that you have chosen.”

“No, Coran.” She clenched her fist. “This is the path towards defeating Honerva.”

The ten days flew fast for Keith, mostly working alongside the Galra to strengthen Ryker Base, meeting up with the rest of the Coalition for their promised support in the battle against Honerva, chatting with the Paladins in the mess hall or sword practice in the training rooms.

They had some good news too—Pidge was able to track down the rest of the Olkari who had taken refuge on a remote planet in the Fauxar Galaxy. Matt and Lieutenant Ozar immediately left to rescue them.

Of course, the bad news overweighed this because Allura was still showing no signs of regaining her consciousness. 

In spite of being so busy that he slept like a corpse every night, his mind was at a kind of peace he had not felt in a long time. He used to blame himself for finding the Blue Lion on Earth, the beginning of all his misadventures in space that led to the discovery that he belonged to the very species that amputated Shiro’s arm and killed him. Something he could never forgive and live with.

But as time passed, he finally let go of the hope that Shiro would ever return to him again. As he would probably say, he had taught Keith all that was there for him to teach and now, it was his time to stand up for himself. Keith would lie under the trees and watch the stars visible in the planet Ryker’s night sky, wondering if Shiro was out there somewhere and if he would be proud of what his little brother was doing.

Above all, his heart slowly learnt to accept the fact that not all Galra were evil. That blaming the entire civilization for the death and destruction caused due to the greed of a few was wrong. He grew to love and respect them as a part of himself. His mother. Kolivan. The Galra and Blades who were working with him. The many other Blades who had sacrificed their lives for their cause— Ulaz, Thace, Antok, his friend Regris, Sulan who was the reason Acxa was alive. And of course, Acxa herself.

He got to spend a lot of time with her, going on long walks, on their so-called _perimeter checks_. He grew so much closer to her over the days that he felt equally scared and excited. Scared, for he didn’t know what he would end up doing if something was to happen to her too. Excited, for it was the first time he fell in love with someone so deeply.

He learnt something new about her every day. That she loved his stupid sarcasm as much as he loved the sound of her rare laughter. He wanted to do everything to keep listening to those giggles, but they would cut off abruptly as soon as Acxa perceived others’ presence. 

That she showed her true self only to those people whom she let inside her closed boundaries. So far, it was only him and Syra. Maybe, to some extent, Krolia and the three Alteans. But Keith had thought that she was still wary of her old colleagues, so he was quite surprised when Ezor visited him that day.

He had been training with the Altean gladiator the whole morning and had stopped to take a swig from his bottle when he heard a faint rustle behind him. He turned around to find... _Ezor? What is she doing here?_ “Are you here to see Acxa?”

“No, I am here to see you.” She did a couple of cartwheels before straightening to her feet. “So...do you need any suggestions for the hover bike ride? There are some steep cliffs on this planet that you may want to check out.”

He choked on his drink. _How does she know about my planned date?!_ “How do you...did Acxa tell you?”

“I have my own ways of finding out, Paladin.” She chuckled, her eyes full of cheeky mischief. “Well, if you need any kind of romantic advice, feel free to knock at our door. Zethrid and I will be most happy to help.”

He blinked hard, trying to figure out what kind of ulterior motive she had for her to suddenly become so nice to him. _She is in the Coalition now, Keith. She is supposedly a friend._

“Oh. Thanks, I guess.” He winced at his unconvincing gratitude. “Why—”

“Why am I helping you? Guess ‘coz Acxa is like our sister, whatever she might say and however we might have treated her in the past. Teeny-tiny arguments happen all the time, no biggie. Soon, we would have to accept you as our brother-in-law, so—”

“Br-br-brother-in-law?” Keith stammered. _What the heck is she saying?! I am too young! I am not yet prepared to lose—_

“Why? You don’t want to?” Her grin instantly morphed into a furious scowl. “Are you cheating on her?! Listen up, Mr. Flippity Hair, if I ever find—”

“No, no, no cheating...I mean, I am never gonna cheat on her. But like, I—I’m not planning to, for that matter neither is she—planning to, you know, get... _married_ like now. I haven’t even—”

She flicked at his bangs, her classic smirk returning to her face. He caught her wrist before she could ruin his hairstyle some more. “Oh, that’s all right. I meant _eventually_.” _Eventually? Hmm...?_ She pulled out a knife from her pocket and tossed it onto the bench beside him. “Give that to her.”

The blade was an inch longer than his mother’s with the familiar indigo logo, intricate designs carved on its hilt and zigzag grooves cut along one edge. He glanced up at her in surprise. “It’s her Marmoran blade! The one she said she lost. How do you have it?”

She gave him one of her annoying shrugs, which was not even an answer. “Someone is coming up. I will get going. See you around.”

With that, she disappeared into the background. _She can do invisible? Does that mean... quiznack, what else has she seen! Where is she now? Did she get out?_

He probably looked funny, swinging his head up and down in an apparently empty room, for Nadia, who had walked in a few seconds ago, was staring at him slack-jawed. He self-consciously covered his body with a towel and cleared his throat. “Um, Nadia?”

“Yeah, um, the Princess is awake. You have been called to her room, uh, the briefing room, I mean.” She gulped and ran out as quickly as she had come in.

After he had pulled on his Paladin armor, he thrust the knife into the empty pocket where his mother’s blade used to be. He hurried to the briefing room, reminding himself to return it to Acxa at the first chance he got.

Against Coran’s warnings that she might need to rest longer after her experiences in the Void, Allura walked to her new cabin aboard the Atlas and was gratified to see all her belongings arranged exactly the way they were. _Father and mother’s statue on the mantel. The juniberry flowerpot and my crystal circlet on the bedside table. My pink Garrison uniform ironed and folded on the chair._

She recalled the previous night’s incidents. Or, ten quintants ago as for the others. The visions of Lotor had coaxed her to release the entity and absorb it within herself to gain knowledge about Honerva. _Why did I see Lotor? Why did Lotor come here? How did he get out of the Quintessence Field?_ She shook her head and decided to focus on things she could handle for the sake of her own sanity. _Allura!_

She clutched her head at the sudden jab of pain. _You know you are one of us. Join me and we will together defeat the Galra and get revenge for the Alteans, for our people. You and I want the same for our people._

Allura inhaled deeply and tried to focus. She was only imagining voices in her head, voices that didn’t exist. The more she listened to them, the more they would try to control her thoughts. _I control my mind, not the witch._

She had finished zipping up her space suit and was smoothing the last loose strand of her silvery hair into a perfect bun, when there was a knock on the door. “Come in!”

Coran slowly pushed open the door and stepped inside. “Princess, they are ready for you in the briefing hall.”

She rubbed her circlet before placing it around her forehead. _I will be more comfortable with only the Paladins in my present condition._ “Coran, can you do me a favor?”

He offered her a small bow. “Anything, Princess.”

“Would it be possible for only the Paladins to attend this meeting? The information that I need to share...I wish to avoid unnecessary panic among the crew as far as I can.”

The Paladins had left the seat at the head of the conference table empty for Allura. Lance sat on her left, followed by Coran and Pidge. On her right were Keith, Hunk and Acxa. _Why is Acxa here?_

More curiously, everyone was nudging one another and passing furtive glances across the table as if they had something to tell her but were not sure how to break the news. Finally, all eyes landed on Keith. He drew a defeated breath and turned to her. “Princess, we have something to tell you.”

“I sense that much from the atmosphere of the room. What is it, Keith?” _Something involving Acxa?_

“I don’t know how to present this news in a better way, Princess.” He was visibly anxious. “During the time you were unconscious, the Blue Lion chose Acxa as her new Paladin. We are not yet sure what might have been the reason that compelled her to change her Paladin.”

_Oh._ Allura was supposed to be shocked at the news. And she was, although she wasn’t sure why. _Is it because Blue rejected me or is it because I accurately predicted this would happen?_

“You are not...affected?”

She couldn’t meet his eyes, her guilt anchoring heavily into her heart. _I am a lot more affected than you think._ “I had known something like this would happen. I know why Blue rejected me. I questioned your right to the Black Lion. I felt it was unfair that I, the Princess of Altea, should follow a Galra.”

The group around the table fell silent on hearing her flippant words. Keith swallowed thickly. “Allura, the Black Lion chose me on her own accord. I never asked to be your leader. It’s only because Shiro isn’t here that I have to step up and fulfill the duties of the Black Paladin.”

“I know.” She realized she had framed her statement worse than she imagined. Keith was obviously hurt. “But it wasn’t only about you. My thoughts were full of jealousy directed towards Lance as well. I—I debated over why he pilots the Red Lion when it is my father’s legacy. Why didn’t Red select me as her Paladin? I even felt I am piloting the lowly Blue Lion, just one leg of Voltron. I suppose that was the moment when Blue rejected me.”

She tried to still her trembling hands. _They must be ashamed of me. I am not worthy of—_ She flinched in surprise when Lance took her hand in his. _He doesn’t hate me for what I said?_ “It isn’t you, Allura. It must have been the entity that filled your mind with such thoughts. You said it’s connected to Honerva?”

“Yes.” She withdrew her hand. _I am not worthy of your kindness when I am tainted with jealousy and malice towards people whom I should consider as my friends and family._ “But at that moment, I couldn’t distinguish my thoughts from the entity. I am afraid these might be my own repressed feelings. Perhaps, deep down, I am as vile as Honerva. Perhaps, she and I are not quite different. After all, the Allura from the alternate universe had put down the Galra uprising to raise evil Alteans like General Hira.”

“I agree with Lance,” Keith said slowly. “Allura, these are certainly not your feelings. I still remember the day when you got so excited to be in the Blue Lion—”

Hunk pumped his fist. “Yeah, you even shouted, ‘Hunk! I am a leg!’”

“Yeah, and so there is no way these thoughts are yours. As Lance says, Honerva was probably brainwashing you through the entity to join her side. But now, you have mastered full control over the entity that you’re able to separate your actual thoughts from the ones it was feeding you and understand what is right and wrong. Just like the time you realized Hira was wrong and called out on her crimes. That’s what counts at the end.”

Allura tried not to stare at him. Keith had really come a long way as the leader of Voltron. He had become remarkably confident and inspiring as a leader than he was four decaphoeebs ago. Maybe, Acxa joining his team had boosted his morale. Whatever be the case, her heart ached a bit knowing that she would not be part of Voltron anymore. That Keith won’t be her leader anymore. That she would have to find her own path.

Presently, Pidge spoke up. “But it doesn’t make any sense. Why would Honerva want the Princess to join her?”

Allura knew exactly why. “I will explain shortly. Prior to that, I wish to listen to all that has happened over the past ten quintants.”

All the pieces of the Mehregoph Jigsaw fell into their perfect positions once the Paladins finished recounting their experiences of the past ten quintants. In a flash, Honerva’s entire plan became as clear as crystal to her. _No way!_ “Allura?”

“Yes, I am here.” She swallowed some water before continuing. “I am fine. I think I know what Honerva is doing. Coran, isn’t Mid-Equinox Day four days from today?”

Coran counted out the days on his fingers. “You are absolutely right, Princess.”

“Mid-Equinox Day?”

“It is one of those days when the quintessence of Alteans is aligned such that they can perform powerful alchemic rituals with unfailing success. Do you remember how the Sincline ships could enter the Quintessence Field at will? I had given such tremendous ability to the ship on a similar Mid-Equinox day.” 

“So...?” Keith trailed thoughtfully. “You think _Honerva_ is gonna pull some similar feat of magic?”

“Exactly. We need to focus on three major factors that we have discovered so far. Firstly, Honerva has the ability to create wormholes and these wormholes are emanating from Oriande. Secondly, she used a Robeast to steal the Olkari cubes which can mimic and intensify energy at a distance. In addition to this, we know the Robeasts are essentially armed with Komars which can drain and transmit massive amounts of Quintessence.” 

She pulled up the holographic map of the known Universe from her memory stick. “Honerva is going to concentrate energy from across the Universe to Oriande. She is creating a Komar, magnitudes larger than anything we have ever seen. Something that could drain the Quintessence from an entire galaxy.”

Allura marked the vulnerable planets which could be easily siphoned for Quintessence. The simulation connected all her placed markers, intuitively creating a large revolving Komar. For five long doboshes, everyone, including Coran, were stunned into silence. Finally, Coran gasped, “That monster!”

Pidge spread her hands in despair. “What could she possibly need that much energy for?”

“I don’t know. That is why we must make haste and attack Oriande directly before she succeeds in this ritual.”

Keith could barely register what he was hearing. Every piece of information Allura was providing was more baffling than the last. _Of course, it is. We are dabbling in the realm of magic where things that happen cannot be explained by science._

According to Allura, Honerva sacrificed her immortal cat Kova in order to learn more about Lotor. Apparently, Kova had been Lotor’s constant companion since his birth for ten thousand years and the sole connection to his past. Acxa hung her head in sorrow on hearing about Kova. She had told Keith several times how much she regretted the death of Narti and not knowing the whereabouts of Kova after that fateful day.

“After I found this one leaked memory, I tried to follow it to track the source. Unfortunately, Honerva realized the presence of an intruder and trapped my consciousness in the astral plane. I felt I was there only for a short time, but ten quintants passed in the real world.”

“Astral plane? I thought it exists only in the Black Lion’s consciousness. You know, where I was able to talk to Shiro’s spirit during our battle with Lotor.”

“You are right, Keith,” she agreed. “But only to that extent. The astral plane is technically the Infinite Void itself. The Black Lion only served as a connection for the two of your souls to meet. The same way as she did for Shiro and Zarkon, following which he was able to sever Zarkon’s connection to Black.”

“I remember.”

“For me and Honerva, the Dark Entity served as a similar connection. From what slight conversation we had, I understood this much: Though she bears the Mark of the Chosen, she has _not_ been able to master the alchemic knowledge from Oriande. Hence, she knows very well that I am a major threat to her plans, come what may.”

Pidge sat up, excitedly. “That is why she is constantly coaxing you to join her side. She knows she is weaker than you. She thinks that if you join her, she could use you for her universal conquests.”

“Yes, but more importantly, she too wants to learn the secrets of Oriande. However, I doubt she is weaker than me. She has had ten thousand years to master all other aspects of alchemy. She is especially adept in the realm of dark magic. After all, she is powerful enough to hide Oriande from us.”

“So, how did she do that?” Hunk asked. “Magical cloaking?”

“No, she has trapped the spirit of the Guardian of Oriande, the White Lion in the Infinite Void. What she did to me before I escaped.”

_We have one more lion?!_ Keith almost blurted out but everyone else gasped as if they had tasted piping hot chili. “Uh, what White Lion?”

“Oh yeah, you didn’t come with us on our magical vacation, did you? You were on a space road trip with Mom!” Hunk chortled. “So, Oriande is basically this mystical planet inside a massive white hole, which is basically a white lion, which opens its mouth for you to enter. Allura did her alchemic doctorate in there while we were being suffocated to death. In a nutshell, yeah, it was fun!”

_In English, please!_ “I understood like...nothing of what you said.”

“Keith, it would be tough for people who haven’t been there to understand the actual situation of Oriande. But, Hunk’s explanation is...quite appropriate.” Allura looked like she wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at such a fantastic description of their sacred temple. “To put it simply, the planet is guarded by the White Lion to keep the unworthy out of Oriande. It is because of the capture of this guardian, the planet has seemingly disappeared. So, unless he is reinstated, we can never enter the place.”

Lance drummed his fingers on the table. “Almost like...Honerva has locked herself and the other Alteans inside Oriande and hidden the key.”

“No, more like tossed the key off into the ocean,” Pidge retorted. “Princess, how are we supposed to search for the White Lion in the Infinite Void? It’s impossible!”

“I know.” For once, Allura too seemed clueless. “Searching the entirety of the Infinite Void for the spirit of the Guardian is an impossible task. That is out of our scope.”

The Paladins nodded their agreement. “But, if my guess is right, we don’t have to go far. Knowing Honerva, she would be haughtily confident that nobody could ever break into her well protected mind. So, what better place to conceal the White Lion than in the depths of her own consciousness? I can use the Entity to pass through the Void and infiltrate her mind but I would need Voltron to guard me as I navigate through the astral plane.”

Lance shook his head, probably feeling as helplessly ignorant as himself. “Wow, this is giving me migraines. So, Honerva has trapped the spirit of a freaking white hole in her _brain_? Is that even thinkable? Like, how are we supposed to—you know what, I am just dropping this.”

Pidge had her usual uncertainty-principle-is-genius expression on her face. “Lance, think of it in this way. Don’t you have any secrets or memories that you have no wish to relive again so, you just stash them away in the deepest vaults of your mind? Maybe, for powerful alchemists like Honerva, the fact that they can trap another creature’s consciousness in their own mind is...plausible.”

“Plausible?” Lance hissed. “What are you even talking about? This is crazy dangerous. We are gonna go inside an evil witch’s mind? Allura still carries the Entity within her, this is gonna kill her. Don’t you all remember what Shiro said after his fight against Zarkon? If we get killed in there, we are never returning to the mortal world again. Keith, surely you agree with me?”

Keith hesitated. Something told him that they were supposed to take this quest. “I don’t know, Lance. I mean, Honerva is capable of creating galactic Komars, Robeasts and wormholes. She is the single greatest threat that the Universe has ever faced. It might take lifetimes for us for another opportunity like this to come around. I feel this is worth the risk.”

“No, Keith. You don’t fully understand the risks. A single misstep and Allura would be lost forever into the abyss or worse, she could be permanently trapped under the witch’s control.”

“Coran, I understand your concerns,” Allura said gently. “But this is the only way for us to rescue the Guardian and take the fight to Oriande. We have no choice if we are to stop her before the Mid-Equinox and rescue all my people. I can only imagine what kind of wicked alchemic ritual she is planning with so much Quintessence. We must put a stop to the witch.”

Keith took a deep breath and stood up. “Allura is right. If there is anyone capable of pulling off such an incredible feat, it is her. The Paladins of Voltron would be right there with you, Princess. All of us are in this together. Guys?”

One by one, the Paladins rose to their feet to support his decision. Coran clearly hated the idea, but at last he too reluctantly stood up. Allura leaped forward to give him a big bear hug. “Thank you, Coran. I knew you would believe in me.”

Coran said nothing; just patted her back. He scowled at Keith, a message clear in his eyes. _Protect her with whatever it takes. Don’t lose her like Shiro did that day._

Keith promised him with a discreet nod of his head.

“Oh, and there is one more thing.” Allura gently disengaged herself from the hug. “Acxa, come with me. I have something for you.”

Allura placed her palm over the glass pod in which her pink Paladin armor had been kept. The time had come for her to give up what remained of her bond to Voltron and the Blue Lion.

She sighed wearily and beckoned Acxa forward. “Your suit of armor. In Altea, we wear pink as a tribute to our fallen warriors.” She ran her fingers across the V-shaped insignia on it. “It belongs to you now. Wear it honorably, Acxa.”

Acxa bowed slightly in acceptance. “Princess Allura, I am sorry about the turn of events. But, shouldn’t you try to bond with the Blue Lion once again before you hand over this? It could be that this isn’t a permanent replacement. Maybe, I was supposed to pilot the Blue Lion only till its original Paladin wakes up. Now that—”

“No, Acxa. The Lions do not change their Paladins without a strong reason. The last time a Lion was forced to take in another Paladin, only bad things had happened.” She kept her hand on her shoulder. “The Blue Lion has chosen you. You are its true Paladin now.” 

Acxa didn’t appear to be entirely satisfied by her statement, but she silently nodded in reply.

“Also, I owe you an apology,” she continued. “I have said terrible things about you. You must understand that there was a time when I used to hate and distrust the Galra so bitterly that I could not grasp the idea of good people being among them. All I could think was that they were a class of murderers who had annihilated my entire civilization, my planet and my family. However, after Keith turned out to be Galra, I had to change my perception about them.”

Acxa was not particularly offended by what she said. _She must have heard this a lot._ “I suppose after Lotor betrayed your trust, your hatred for us returned full circle?”

“Yes, you are right,” she agreed. “And I blindly misjudged you. I was so certain that you had betrayed us and handed over the survivors of the colony back to Honerva, that I couldn’t even entertain the thought that something else might have occurred. Now, I realize how wrong I was. I am sincerely sorry about what I might have said and more importantly, deeply grateful to you for protecting my people the way I never got the chance to do.”

She extended her hand for a warrior’s handshake of solidarity. “I am truly happy that you are in the team, Acxa. And I think this is for the best. I am sure you will make a better Paladin than I ever could be. Keith trusts you with his life.”

Acxa smiled faintly at her words. Thankfully, she obliged with the handshake. “And I do hope you would forge your own destiny as well, Princess of Altea. I am sure your destiny would be something that surpasses being a Voltron Paladin.”

_I hope so, too. But what could be greater than the honor of being a Voltron Paladin?_ “Oh, and your Bayard!”

She summoned the Blue Bayard to her right hand. _Goodbye, old friend. My final connection to you._ “This is for you.”

Acxa gingerly picked up the Bayard from her hand. Immediately, it changed into a long, light staff with blue and purple adornments along its length. On the top was a wickedly sharp blade with one edge shaped like a crescent moon and a jewel on its guard. Acxa maintained an excellent pokerface that Allura couldn’t get a wild guess of what she might be thinking.

“This isn’t the fixed form of the Bayard. You can change it into other forms at the time of need.”

“It’s not that.” She tightened her grip on her weapon. “Let’s join the other Paladins if you are ready for it.”


	13. Uncharted Regions

Keith was slightly disconcerted when Allura ushered Acxa away with her...somewhere. _Surely, she isn’t going to demand the Blue Lion back from her, is she?_

He hated to admit it, but he was guiltily pleased with the unexpected Paladin change. He was so much more comfortable with Acxa that he had no wish for the team to revert to the original arrangement at any cost. Although they hadn’t been able to form Voltron with her in Blue, Keith was confident. _It just needs time. I am pretty sure now that the other three are also well acquainted with Acxa, we will be able to form Voltron on our next attempt._

His mind fell back to when Shiro had disappeared and they were forced to choose a new leader for the team. Pidge had downright put him down as a loner and decided that he would make the worst leader of Voltron. Lance had declared that he didn’t want Keith to lead him anywhere. Hunk said nothing. But it could be very well that he was in agreement with whatever they were saying, just not chirping it out loud.

As time passed, the three of them, more or less, grudgingly accepted his leadership. Except for Allura. She never once agreed with his decisions or plans.

Not in the alternate reality, when he suggested to her that she shouldn’t help Hira get the comet. That perhaps, those Alteans were not the kind of people she thought they were.

Not in the Ullipa system, when he yelled several times that destroying the comet ship was way more important than the teludav in the cargo ship.

Not when he informed her of the new strain of Quintessence the Blades had tracked down. She brushed aside his intel and reprimanded him for being absent for his duties as the Black Paladin. It was the first time he stepped down from his position and let Shiro be the leader the team deserved. 

The second time he decided to give up on being the leader was when Allura piled up groundless accusations on Acxa of being a traitor and Honerva’s mole. He was so fed up of being badmouthed for the fate of being born Galra that he wanted nothing better than to leave the team and not lead someone who had not a drop of trust for him or his people. He had even asked Allura to find a new Paladin for the Black Lion for he believed that since the Lions were tied to her life force, she had the power to choose or dismiss a Paladin at will.

The one thing he had always wondered was why he so vehemently stood up for Acxa in the packed Garrison briefing room. Granted he knew her well enough to know that she won’t commit treachery. Yet, he had gone out of the way to vouch for her, staked his honor and reputation and even his credibility as the Black Paladin on her.

Interestingly, in the events that unfolded after their infamous fight, the Lions treated Allura as a variable contrary to his notion. The Lions fixed him as the leader and shifted the other factors to find a new Paladin for his team after he swore he would never again pilot the Black Lion with Allura in the team.

He snapped out of his thoughts when Coran tapped his shoulder. “Keith, the arrangement is complete.”

Six large reclining beds had been set in a crude circle in one of the monitoring chambers of the sick bay. The room was dimly lit and had no windows or doors, just glass walls on all sides. It eerily resembled the interrogation rooms in a court.

Lance ran his eye over the entire set-up. He didn’t know what to make of it. _Are we gonna have a sleepover?_ Keith wiggled his finger at the arrangement and asked the very question he was meaning to ask. “Um, what is this?”

“For the quest Allura has put forth, you need all your minds to be connected to her and the entity she holds within her. Only then can you enter Honerva’s mind through the Infinite Void.” He waved his hand at the beds. “Like this, we will keep an eye on your vitals every tick. In case of any fluctuations, we can act immediately.”

Lance folded his arms. “But how are we gonna connect our minds? Meditation?”

Coran smirked and brought out a six toothed headgear. _The team bonding equipment?_ “Oh, I remember this. We used this one to dig around in Pidge’s head before we knew she is a girl. She was constantly thinking of Matt and we all thought she was the guy in the picture.”

“Ha-ha! Good ol’ times! And oh, Keith thought I was the _girlfriend_ ,” she giggled. “So...this time too, we will be rooting around in each other’s heads, I guess?”

“Yeah, but this time it isn’t a drill or a mere team building exercise.” Coran clapped the headgear onto Hunk’s head. “This time, we are going to use this sophisticated equipment for a real-time and dangerous mission. Once Allura and Acxa are here, we can start.”

They didn’t have to wait long. Within another five minutes, the two girls entered the medbay.

Lance had half hoped that Allura might have been restored as the Blue Paladin. All his hopes dashed as soon as he caught sight of Acxa in her signature pink Paladin armor. _Allura has given up her final connection to Blue, hasn’t she?_

Though she was smiling and encouraging Acxa to chat with the other Paladins, Lance knew her well enough to note the layers of her sorrow beneath. She had already sacrificed so much for the sake of their missions— her father’s AI which was the last and only memory of King Alfor, the Castle of Lions which was the last real piece of her planet Altea and now, the Blue Lion, her Paladin armor and the blue Bayard as well. He didn’t have anything against Acxa, but it hurt his heart to watch Allura putting up a strong face while inside she must be falling apart.

He reached out to grab her hand. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Yes, of course, I am.” That was a lie. Her teal eyes darted in all directions instead of focusing on his face. _She knows I will find out her buried emotions if she looks me in the eye._ “Why?”

“I was wondering if I could put in a good word for you as Blue’s former Paladin,” he shrugged. “It doesn’t seem fair to me that Blue has discarded her actual Paladin just because she was sick or something.”

Allura glanced uncertainly at Acxa. She was listening to Hunk and Pidge while Keith silently admired his girlfriend in her new uniform. “Lance, hush! Please don’t assume that I regret the Blue Lion’s choice or the events which occurred while I was asleep. Whatever has happened is for the best. Acxa will make a better Paladin than me. After all, Keith trusts her a lot. And trust is what is most essential between the Voltron Paladins.”

“But you? What about—”

She put her index finger on his lips. His breath caught in his throat at the sudden intimate contact. “I appreciate your concern, Lance. But I am sure about my decision as well as the Blue Lion’s. Trust me, everything is going to work out at the end. Now, come.” Her hand dropped from his lips to his wrist. “We need to embark on our quest without anymore delay.”

Allura fitted the telepathy helmet around her head and gingerly lay back on the raised headrest. Her brain activity and pulse rate beeped on the systems hooked to her body. Her heart was beating at an increased rate than usual. That was to be expected for she was feeling as jittery and scared as she had been the first night she absorbed the foreign entity within herself.

The Paladins were lying in their respective cots on either side. _There is nothing to be scared of, Allura,_ she told herself. _Everyone is going under with you, this time. Lance is here. Pidge and Hunk. And, of course, Keith too. The Paladins will protect you from any eventuality._

She closed her eyes and concentrated on the mission they were about to undertake. _My people need me. I cannot afford to waste this golden opportunity. I must find the White Lion. I must reinstate him to Oriande._

A flickering image of her planet Altea, glowing blue and green as she remembered it, solidified in front of her eyes. She took a deep breath. “We are ready, Coran.”

“All right.” His voice crackled over the comm. “I do not know how long it will take for you to return to the real world by your own accord. Since we need you back within four days at the max, I have set the timer accordingly. When the timer runs out, all of you will be ‘kicked’ awake with a sharp jolt. So, whatever you got to do, do it as fast as you can. Are you ready?”

“Ready as we will ever be.”

A button was pressed down with a gentle hiss. Immediately, her consciousness drowned out.

Keith carefully opened his eyes, not sure what to expect. And what he saw was definitely not what he expected. He was suspended in the middle of vast nothingness, doused in an infinite column of red aura.

The other Paladins were also in similar columns of the aura of their respective armors: Hunk and Acxa on his right and Lance and Pidge on his left. The four of them were situated at the vertices of a large imaginary pentagon. Allura stood at the center of the pentagon in a blinding white light.

Slowly, the columns died down to thin rings around their feet. Keith looked around him to take in the environment. It was similar to the Infinite Void they had encountered on their voyage to Earth. _Well, duh! This is the Infinite Void! The Void outside of Honerva’s mind, if I understand correctly._

Bright streams of light whooshed past him and deafened him with the passing moment. They seemed to be headed towards a single source of energy in front of them, a nebula which was preparing to explode any second.

His voice travelled light years through the Void. “Allura, do you feel anything?!”

She yelled back. “We must travel through that light!”

“It looks so far away. How do you know?”

She floated towards it, not waiting for them. “The entity draws me to it.”

Seeing no other option, Keith fired up his jetpack and followed her into the nebula, the other Paladins in tow.

Keith swore to himself that he would never sign up for another supernatural adventure ever again. He had no idea where they had landed or what was going on around him. He had never felt so disoriented before in his life. _This place is more harrowing than the Quantum Abyss._

The nebula was surprisingly cold as the six of them passed through it. _Or, more likely my sensory organs got so overloaded with the extreme temperature that they decided the nebula is freezing._ Whatever the case, they managed to pass through it to reach another expanse of void.

Huge lightning bolts arched to the ground from apparently nowhere. The ground was no better. It extended for miles and miles in all directions, with nothing at all in sight. If they didn’t lose their way or their lives in Honerva’s crackling brain cells, there was a major chance they would all starve to death anyways.

As they landed, he suspected the surface to be disgustingly slimy. However as he planted his foot on it, it felt smoother and more solid than he anticipated. He could hear constant whispers all around him, whispers increasing to loud mutters every time lightning sizzled in the astral plane.

“What is this place?” he mused. “It’s like...I can hear what the Universe is thinking.”

“Remember how the Olkari told me that everything in the Universe is made of the same cosmic dust. I think this has something to do with that.”

Hunk bent down to poke at the glassy ground. “So, our thoughts are linked by what? Some kind of cosmic connection?”

“Yeah, but I think we are the thoughts inside a network of other people’s thoughts.” Keith winced painfully having to use his brain to figure out stuff that flew over it. “Oh, this is making my head hurt.”

Hunk shot a quick glance at Allura, confusion and panic stamped across his face. Keith was trying hard to bottle in his feelings but he too was as scared as his friend. “So, is this Honerva’s mind?”

Allura hesitated for a second before tapping her foot on the smooth surface. _This is gonna crack and we are all gonna fall into oblivion._ Thankfully, nothing of that sort happened. “It’s on the other side of this wall.”

“Hey, what is this?”

Keith lowered his gaze to where Lance was pointing. Ghostly eels floated in the cosmic ocean, just below the wafer of ground on which they were standing. _What are they?_

“I think these are the souls that Honerva has defeated and corrupted,” Allura answered sadly. “It’s terrible.” _These are the souls? Why do they look like eels?_

“Of course, we’re gonna have to get on the other side of the—”

Hunk didn’t get a chance to finish whatever he was about to say.

All of a sudden, the eels morphed into ghostly hands and clawed their way up from under the ground. They latched onto their first victim—Allura.

She let out a sharp cry of pain as the ghostly claws dug into her calf and pulled her down. Lance was the first to jump in to help her. The souls wrapped around both of them. They were rapidly multiplying in numbers, throwing lassoes onto all of them. Except Keith.

One more second, and all the Paladins were buried half way through the ground. Allura was nowhere to be seen. Lance was gone. _NO! What’s happening?!_ Keith desperately tried to pull his remaining friends out of the cosmic quicksand. But he could do nothing. Before his very eyes, Pidge drowned into the whirlpool of ghostly hands. Another ten pairs of hands engulfed Hunk in a cocoon and sank him into the void.

At last, it was only Acxa and him. _I am not gonna let you go,_ he wanted to shout but he couldn’t find his voice. She was already buried till her neck, rapidly sinking out of his reach. He tightened his grip around her wrist, ready to give whatever it took to drag her out of the treacherous ground.

Soon, it was only the tip of her claws he was holding onto. He realized he was not strong enough to resist the gravity of the astral plane. He started to tear up. _Please, Acxa. You can’t leave me too._

Her eyes spoke one line as the ground snaked in between them. _I am sorry, Keith._ She let go of his fingers.

“No. NO!” Keith scrambled to his feet. _No, there has to be some way for me to enter Honerva’s mind as well. Everyone is gone, except me._ “Why did you leave me out? Take me in!”

His helplessness was driving him crazy. He summoned his sword and struck the ground with it. _Let me in, let me in! Why can’t I make even a small crack on this surface?!_

He remembered another variant of his Bayard. _The energy blaster._ The blaster was powerful enough to melt off the metal from a Galra cruiser. He fired shot after shot at the wall that separated him from Honerva’s mind, from his friends. It didn’t budge even a little.

He knew he was going mad. He knew it was useless. He knew his Bayard was powerless to do anything. But he couldn’t stop.

Finally, it was only him and his Bayard, banging at every inch of the endless expanse of the astral plane like a madman searching for a nonexistent entrance to an imaginary place. 

Acxa found herself crouching on the ground. _I got pulled inside Honerva’s mind. Keith is still stuck on the outer wall?_ She got to her feet and turned around in a full circle. _Nobody is here, except me._ “Keith, do you hear me?”

She could not feel anything. Unknown to her, a strange figure cloaked in dark shadows was forming up behind her.

“Team, do you copy?” Hunk shouted for the hundredth time. _Something has severed my connection to the others. What do I do now?_

He reminded himself not to panic. Allura would find him somehow. Or, Keith. But Keith was still stuck in the Void outside.

He gulped in fear. That meant he was on his own. Suddenly, a bolt of fire sent him sprawling onto the ground. A shadowy figure charged towards him with a long spear. _What is this, now?! Did Honerva hire assassins to kill us?_

Pidge rolled to one side before the figure could stab her with their sickle. She shot her whip at her assailant, but they were obviously much more experienced in combat than she was. They wrapped her whip onto their staff and sent her hurtling onto the ground. _Are they the guardians assigned to kill anyone who tries to steal Honerva’s secrets?_

Unless Allura found her right now, she would be chopped into pieces. She was helpless. Neither combat nor magic was her field of expertise. She had nothing around her that she might use to her advantage. For the first time in her life, she realized how Lance and the others felt whenever she spouted out her favorite science facts. _Utterly clueless._

In her moment of despair, she called for her Lion. _Green, I don’t know how far you can come to help your Paladin. Please, I need your help!_

His killer seemed to know the exact spot where he was going to shoot next. Lance was flabbergasted. _Who was this guy?!_ All he could see was a sword and glowing golden eyes. Rest of his body was just shadows and darkness.

Even while fighting, Lance couldn’t stop thinking about Allura. It was horrifying to listen to her screams of terror as she got pulled under by the ghostly hands. He had tried to drag her out, but it only ended up in his getting captured by the spirits as well. _I need to get out of here. My friends need me. Allura needs me._

Helpfully, his rifle changed into a broadsword which Allura had claimed to have seen for the first time in ten thousand years. _My father had a sword like that._ As Lance blocked the killer’s sword with his own, his eyes widened with a sudden realization. _My father...had a sword like that?_

His assailant had the exact same sword as his own. The red Altean broadsword. _Does that mean this guy is none other than King Alfor of Altea, the original red Paladin, father of Princess Allura and the real wielder of the red Bayard?_ Was that why his spirit was angry with Lance and trying to kill him? King Alfor was the actual Paladin of the Red Lion. For him, Lance would merely be an impostor who had usurped his Lion in his absence.

Unfortunately, his sword hold loosened as he got distracted by his thoughts. That one moment was enough for Alfor to knock him down. He had raised his sword to make the decisive kill when Lance heard the most grateful roar he ever wished to hear in his life. _Red is here!_

Immediately, he was transported to a live vision from Red’s memory.

“Your suits of armor.”

A chamber with five glass pods lights up. Inside each pod is a Paladin armor of a different color: Black, Red, Green, Yellow and Blue.

A lady steps up to the pod with the green uniform and happily presses her hand against the glass casing. “They are incredible!”

The big guy in the group is, however, worried about something else. He points to the yellow armor. “They stretch, right?”

The presenter, a young Altean, chuckles softly at his friend’s confusion. “Of course, Gyrgan. They mold to fit their Paladins.”

The lady excitedly clasps her hands. “When will your wonders end, Alfor?”

“Interesting that you should mention it, Trigel.” Alfor places his palm on a hidden panel to reveal five objects of similar color scheme. “I have one more equipment for all of you.”

Alfor picks up the red one. It transforms into a red broadsword. “I call them Bayard.”

The other Bayards find their places with the respective owners. With Gyrgan, the Bayard takes the form of a spear. For Trigel, it changes into a long sickle.

“Each Bayard is crafted with a small fragment of the comet’s ore,” Alfor continues to explain. The blue Bayard takes the form of bow and unlimited arrows in its Paladin’s grip.

For the leader of the group, a young Galra in black, the Bayard instantly transforms into a long scimitar. He is visibly exultant. “With this much power, we will be unstoppable.”

Alfor shakes his head. “They can create powerful weapons, but they also act as a key in bridging the Paladin’s essence with their Lion.” He raises his sword. “Only so long as we fight together as a single unit.”

The Paladins eagerly join him, having no idea about what the future has in store for them. “To defend the Universe.”

Their voices ring over the whole chamber.

The visions shut off abruptly. The dark shadow blew off his assailant to reveal a towering figure in a similar yellow armor as Hunk’s. His eyes still bore the evil golden glow of a corrupted soul.

Hunk was not sure if throwing down his weapon and holding up his hands in a placating gesture was a good idea, but he had no choice. He had to show his respect for the original Yellow Paladin, Gyrgan.

“Your soul...Honerva must have trapped you here somehow. Please. Remember who you are.”

However, Gyrgan didn’t show him any mercy. He aimed his spear at him. Hunk dodged and the spear narrowly missed his head. “Please, I don’t want to fight you!”

Seeing that another spear had already formed in Gyrgan’s hand, he raised his blaster to shoot a laser beam at him. The former Yellow Paladin rotated his spear and expertly deflected the entire blast back at him.

Hunk cursed and dashed to one side even as another spear whizzed past him.

Acxa was distracted. The visions from the Blue Lion disoriented her more than the mystifying environment around her. She realized that the warrior standing before her was the Blue Paladin in the original lineup.

More importantly, she comprehended the terrifying glimpses from her future which she had been forced on by the Quantum Abyss.

_The purple blue staff I am gripping with both my hands and the last string of my life._ It was her Blue Bayard.

_I am trying to protect myself against someone. I have been tackled to the ground. Someone is pressing their weapon against my staff. I am struggling to rise. It is a losing battle. I am going to lose my grip on my weapon and their scimitar will sink into my gut._

Acxa always hated the future visions. She hated knowing her future and hated not knowing it fully. Everything the Quantum Abyss showed was just short bursts which lasted hardly more than two ticks. But now, with what her Lion showed her, she was able to fill in the gaps.

The weapon she was trying to hold off was a scimitar.

_A black scimitar. Zarkon’s original weapon. One of the variants of the Black Bayard._

She was still reeling from the thrill of what her brain had deduced and trying to make sense of what it meant, when the Blue Paladin ran at her with his bow.

Blue roared again. Acxa descended into yet another revelation from the past.

The Paladins are gathered in the main hall of the Castle of Lions.

“Make no mistake,” an older Alfor says. “Zarkon is coming.”

Gyrgan grunts in thought. “Then we use our Lions, fight him till our last breath.”

“I am not certain we can win this fight. We cannot risk our Lions falling into his hands.” Alfor shakes his head sadly. “We must utilize our Lions to seal the Black Lion. Once we are done, we will send them away as far as possible.”

He turns to his most trusted advisor who is standing some distance away. “Coran, you and the Castle of Lions will take the Black Lion away.”

Coran has apparently tried to argue with his king on his decision. Alfor is not the one to listen. He spreads his hands in desperation. “You would have me leave your side at the very end?”

“No.” Alfor gently sets his hand on his shoulder, a universal gesture of trust. “I would have you stand by my daughter’s. I am entrusting you with what is most precious to me in the Universe, Coran.”

Coran has tears in his eyes, realizing the underlying meaning of what his king says. “It will be my greatest honor, sire.”

Alfor takes a deep breath. “Then, it is decided. We go into battle together, one last time.”

Just like the first time, the four Paladins raise their weapons. This time, deprived of their Leader. “To defend the Universe.”

Their voices ring hollow.

Blaytz clutched his head miserably. “Are the visions from the Lions true? Has it really been ten thousand decaphoeebs?”

“I am sorry. But it is true,” Acxa consoled him. “Honerva somehow trapped your souls in here for eons.”

“So, where exactly is... _here_?”

She looked around her. “I suppose we are in the Void...just outside of Honerva’s mind.” _If I am outside, where is Keith? Where did he go?_

“Oh.” Blaytz rose to his feet. “Princess Allura was the Blue Paladin before you?”

Acxa nodded doubtfully. _Is he going to disapprove my being a Paladin?_ “For some...inexplicable reason, the Blue Lion decided to accept me as her new Paladin. The Princess is well, no worries. She leads us on our quest to retrieve the spirit of the White Lion.”

Her older counterpart took a deep breath. “People often overlooked me because I am different. But the Blue Lion recognized in me something others couldn’t see. It saw the greatness within that even I didn’t. You must have greatness within you as well, the reason Blue has chosen you. Thank you for saving us.”

Pidge helped Trigel to her feet. She couldn’t believe her luck. She was actually having a conversation with the original Paladin of the Green Lion. _If Green chooses her Paladin based on their intellect, I can only imagine how much of a genius Trigel must have been. Someone on par with the Olkari?_

“I can’t tell you how much it warms my heart to know that someone so connected to the world around her is piloting the Green Lion. My race believes observation to be the most revered attribute, from where intelligence is born. And for you, it is where it has thrived.”

Trigel smiled kindly. “The infinite abilities of your mind dwarfs the smallness of your size. The Green Lion could not have found a more perfect Paladin.” _She too is calling me Number Five?!_

But Pidge knew she would treasure these words throughout her life.

Gyrgan gripped his arm in a warrior’s handshake. “It saddens me greatly that Zarkon has wreaked such destruction in our absence.”

Hunk grinned. He was glad that Gyrgan’s soul was finally cleansed of the witch’s dark magic. “But not completely. Voltron was reformed. And the Paladins fly together again.”

The two Paladins turned to look at their Lion standing majestically before them. “I have always believed that unity is where true power comes from, and true unity can be only born of love.”

Keith was on his knees, sweat and tears dripping from his face. He was the worst leader of Voltron ever. His teammates had been snatched away from him. And all he did was to stand by and witness the deed helplessly.

For the millionth time he groped on the solid wall for the tiniest crack. He clenched his fists. “Please. There has to be some way in.” 

He had let everyone down. Lance, his right hand man. Little Pidge who was like his baby sister. His best friend, Hunk.

_Allura!_ He had promised Coran he would protect her. He failed on his promise. 

His tears started afresh, thinking about Acxa. It was he who had advised her to stay in the team when she was confused what to do. He was selfish. _And now, I am paying the price of my selfishness._ “How am I supposed to find them?”

All of a sudden, he heard a loud roar behind him. _Black?_

He slowly got up. It was indeed the shimmering form of his Lion. _She is here in spirit?_ “You are here! Our team is gone, Black. I have no way to reach them.”

If a Lion could chuckle, she was definitely doing so. _Turn around, Leader. They are right here._

One by one, the four Lions roared to announce their presence. Keith decided there could be no more beautiful sight than seeing his friends, alive and safe. Wiping his eyes furiously, he raced to them across the astral plane. Before they could say anything, he enveloped them in a huge hug. “You guys are all right!”

Hunk chuckled. “Keith, have you been crying?”

“What! No, I am not crying.” _How does he know?_

He swallowed thickly and stepped next to Acxa. She was happy to see him. He was about to take her hand in his when he read something else in her eyes. _Confusion, doubt...fear?_ They were transfixed on the sword in his hand. He felt like she was avoiding his eyes for some reason. _What has happened to her?_

Though Keith was a little hurt, he decided to give her some space. It was then that he happened to notice four more individuals in Paladin uniforms by his side. “Wait, are they the...?”

Pidge grinned broadly. “Yep, the original Paladins.”

“Their souls were trapped in by Honerva’s dark magic,” Hunk explained. “When we came near her consciousness, our connection attracted them to us. The Lions created a bridge, sharing old memories with new.”

As King Alfor shook his hand, Lance looked around. “But where is Allura? Is she still stuck in Honerva’s mind?!”

The true nature of their quest slowly dawned on Keith. The four Paladins had found their original counterparts. Obviously, this meant his quest was to find the uncorrupted spirit of Zarkon, the original Black Paladin and leader of Voltron. _Then, does this mean...Allura has to find the spirit of the White Lion, all by herself?_

He shook his head. _There was no way we are gonna let her hunt her way alone through the dangerous territories of an evil witch’s consciousness._ “Since she has not returned, we must enter Honerva’s mind and try to find her. But the problem is that there is no way for us to enter. I have tried all I could.”

“Not with force.” King Alfor knelt down and placed his palm on the ground. “We can re-enter using magic.”

Of course, they had the most powerful alchemist of ancient Altea on their side. Instantly, a string of bright white light seared through the ground, marking a portal similar to a wormhole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, as you can see, the Paladins of old will also play an important role in the final battle. In the coming chapter, focus will be on Keith as he finds the spirit of Zarkon and Allura on her quest to find the White Lion. 
> 
> PS: The first part of this chapter was inspired by the movie 'Inception' (I am sure you all would have guessed that already, haha)


	14. Knights of Light, Part - I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I finished this chapter faster than I expected. And, I actually have some part of the next chapter ready so I will be able to update the next one soon. I hope you enjoy this chapter and do let me know in the comments how you are liking the story so far, or in case you have any questions regarding it. Happy reading!! :)

“Whoa! Where are we?”

They were kneeling in front of a castle situated on a small hill and surrounded by gushing waterfalls on either side. The castle was built in the lines of the familiar Galra architecture and designs of purple and red. The planet basked in a perpetual burgundy dusk sky.

King Alfor rose to his feet. “On Daibazaal.”

Keith had already guessed so much from what he was seeing. Gyrgan put his thoughts into words. “It is pristine. The last time we were here, everything was decimated.”

Pidge surveyed her surroundings. “The landscapes of Honerva’s mind must be made of places from her past.”

Keith walked to the edge of the cliff to watch the river meandering down the valley. “So, if all this is a big Honerva thought bubble, wouldn’t she know we are here?”

“About 20 years ago, the Garrison was able to map the human brain,” she answered, her chin set deep in thought. “They used a ventral metatronic reactor to read the thera-magnetic wave signatures of each—” 

_Where is she going with this?_ “Get to the point, Pidge.”

She sheepishly cut out her scientific rambling that nobody could possibly understand. Except, maybe for Matt and her dad. “What I am saying is that a person's mind is an endless landscape of constantly shifting thoughts and ideas. We must be hidden in the chaos.”

Lance frowned doubtfully. “Do you know this for sure, or is this just a theory?”

“Well, it's a theory. But if Honerva finds out we're in her mind, I have a feeling we'll know about it.”

“Good point.” Hunk rubbed his hands together. “But now, what? Without the dark entity, how will we find our way around?”

Seeing that even the older Paladins had no idea what was to be done next, Keith decided to use the oldest trick in the book. “When in doubt, knock at the door.”

Allura opened her eyes and immediately regretted it. The light overhead was blinding. _Where am I? What is this place?_

She slowly sat up, clutching her head. She squinted at the building in front of her. Everything was too bright. _Why is everything so bright?_

As her eyes became more accustomed to the light, she realized that the place seemed exceedingly familiar. The magical atmosphere, the beautifully carved pillars, the pyramid shaped domes, and the tall doors standing proudly, allowing entry only to true Altean alchemists. _Oriande!_

She bolted to her feet. _It is indeed Oriande!_ She had visited Oriande only once, but the memory was etched so deep in her mind she probably could recognize it even in her sleep.

She started to remember bits and pieces of what had happened. The Paladins and she had embarked on the quest to find the spirit of the White Lion. They had been standing on the wall separating the Infinite Void from Honerva’s mind, when a bunch of ghostly creatures wrapped her in their tendrils and dragged her down with them. Lance had tried to save her, but he too drowned along with her. _I need to return to my friends. I need to save him and the others._

She could feel the dark entity churning within her. _I must still be within Honerva’s mind._ Then, Oriande must be one of her dominant memories. She was using places from her memories as fail-safes to protect her secrets from unwanted intruders. Since she failed the Guardian’s trials, the place would have her bitter memories locked inside.

Something was calling out to Allura, egging her to open the doors. She clasped the Psyferite knocker and muttered, “What I’m looking for must be in there. I have to pass through.”

Keith clanged the knocker of the castle door again.

Hunk tugged at his lip nervously. “Um, is anybody home?”

He shrugged and knocked the door for the tenth time. “I don’t know. But I have a gut feeling Zarkon is inside. Isn’t this his palace after all?”

“Yes, it is,” King Alfor said. “However, if everything here is part of Honerva’s imagination, I don’t think Zarkon will be inside. Moreover, knocker was never a part of Galran furnishings.”

“Perhaps, Honerva had a weakness for antique relics?” _Does Kova count as one? He was ten thousand and thirty years old when he was sacrificed. Wow, that cat had seen so much of the Universe than any of us._ “Anyways, it is important to find Zarkon for us to continue on our mission.”

“Keith, I don’t get it. Why are you searching for the big, bad Galran overlord? We took so much pain to get rid of him. Did you forget about Shiro? It was in the battle with Zarkon we lost Shiro.”

“I know, I know.” He turned to face his friends. “Look, if the four of you freed the souls of your counterparts from the depths of the witch’s consciousness, then as far as I understand, it is my quest to find the pre-Quintessence, uncorrupted form of the former Black Paladin. Bad as it sounds, I feel it is the truth.”

Gyrgan grunted his agreement. “What the boy says makes sense.”

“Makes sense?!” Lance hissed in exasperation. “How does it make any sense? We had to kill Zarkon to finally bring an end to his evil reign that lasted ten thousand years. Now, we search for him... _for what?_ Also, did you forget what Coran said? We have to finish our mission before the timer runs out. We have no idea how long passed in the real world. Right now, we gotta search for Allura, not Zarkon!” 

“I know.” _Are my instincts wrong?_ “Since this is his palace, I thought—”

“Thought what? Zarkon will roll out a banquet for us or something?”

“Keith, I have to agree with Lance,” Acxa murmured quietly. “If the memory of Zarkon is something precious to her, there is no way she will lock it up in such an obvious place. Honerva is too devious for that. The Galran palace has to be bait or distraction for us to lose our way.” 

Keith took a deep breath. “So, then, what do you suggest we do?”

Allura stepped inside the familiar corridors of the Temple of Alchemists. It looked a lot different from what she remembered. 

There had been a number of thirty foot statues of the Sages of Oriande, lined on either side of the corridor. She had offered the compass stone to them as a gift in exchange for their safe passage through the temple. But now, the walls were barren. _Where are the Sages?_

She pressed her palms to the wall, trying to read into the history of the temple or dig into Honerva’s memories to discover what had happened there. A blue aura spread around her hands. Then, a series of scenes swiftly passed through her mind.

_Large chunks of metal ore are being transported via levitating equipments._ What metal was it? Psyferite? She concentrated harder. _Show me more!_

_A group of young Alteans are overseeing the construction of an enormous structure._ With a start, she realized what the structure was. It was the framework of one of Honerva’s Robeasts.

Finally, she stumbled upon the answer she had been seeking. _The giant statues are being melted in a furnace. The molten metal is poured into the cast of one of the Robeasts._

A chill ran down her spine as she watched the carved sculptures melt into red-hot, faceless metal. She recoiled away from the wall, breathing heavily. _The vile monster! She melted the sacred sculptures of the Sages to construct her monstrosities?!_

Presently, she heard the padded steps of a huge animal coming round the corridor.

“What about you, Lance? You love Allura a lot, don’t you?”

_Hunk! King Alfor is standing like...right here!_ Keith pinched his nose bridge, soaking in secondhand embarrassment for his friend. The guy in question gulped visibly, his eyes darting to and fro between Hunk and Allura’s father. “Um, yes?”

“I was just thinking...look, suppose Acxa is in danger. To whom would she call for help?”

The Paladins of new had several mind-blowing answers.

“Ezor or Zethrid?” Keith glanced at her for confirmation. “Wait, no. I got this. She would have called Lotor for assistance. Wait, is this question meant for...before she joined us or after?”

“Lotor is dead, Keith,” Pidge chided. “I think the Galran troops would be called for backup. Or maybe, the Blades?”

Lance thought for one long minute. “She’d pray to the old Galran gods or Dalterian deities?”

Acxa rolled her eyes. “Bold of you to assume I’d ask anyone for help.”

The Paladins of old burst out laughing at the entire exchange.

“Well, this isn’t the answer I was expecting.” Hunk sighed in resignation. “The answer should be—Keith. The two of you are dating, aren’t you?”

Keith nodded his head. _Yep, last I checked._ “Then, won’t she call you if she were in any kind of danger?”

He recalled how Acxa had shot down Lance twice at their encounter in the Ulippa system, how she had repelled his Black Bayard with her small blaster and how she had kicked in Zethrid’s face. “I think Acxa’s answer is right. She won’t need help from anyone.”

“I—I...that wasn’t my point. So, like if Allura was in...” Hunk sighed again. “You know what, forget it.”

“I think I understand what Hunk is trying to say. He says if my daughter is in danger, she would call out to Lance. Because she loves him.”

Lance shook his head. “No, King Alfor. Allura said very clearly that she isn’t interested in me. Again, she is a princess. I am just a farm boy from planet Earth. She is never gonna love me back.”

Alfor smiled and stepped forward to Lance. “Through the Red Lion’s bond, I could feel your love for my daughter.” _Woah, Red said that? Never knew she loves to gossip! What else did she say?_ “Name or title isn’t important to her, Lance. I know this because she is so much like her mother, the then Princess of Altea. Melenor had fallen in love with a simple alchemist and married him. So perhaps, one day, Allura will accept your love as well.”

He put his hand on his shoulder. “Right now, we must find her. If you concentrate, you would be able to find out where she is. Your bond to her is the strongest.” 

Lance closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. A second later, a huge orb of purple energy smashed into the castle, exploding it into a million splinters.

Allura almost burst into tears seeing the White Lion of Oriande.

His flowing white mane and powerful muzzle were gone, replaced by matted fur hung loosely from his blatantly visible ribs. His muzzle was covered in sickly slobber and his eyes gleamed hungrily with an aura no longer the divine amber, but a diabolic purple.

As soon as the Lion caught sight of her, he opened his jaws to shoot a column of purple fire at her. Allura tumbled down to the ground and rolled to one side, the fire narrowly singeing her hair. She had no weapon and no shield. The Paladins were not with her.

Too late, Allura realized she was on her own. This was her solo quest. The reason why she was separated from her friends. The reason why she could not contact them. This was going to be the real _victory-or-death_ battle of her life. If she succeeded in rescuing the Guardian from Honerva’s consciousness, she would be reunited with the Paladins. If she couldn’t, this place was fated to be her doom.

She shakily rose to her feet. She had the power of alchemy to match the witch at her own game. Come what may, she would never become another Honerva. She would use her knowledge for nothing but bettering the Universe. She had been in the wrong all this while. She had blamed an entire civilization for the wrongdoings of two individuals. One of whom was not even Galra.

An Altean was supposed to be the peacemaker, someone who shouldn’t pile up baseless prejudices but open the ways for change. But Allura had sorely misjudged Keith after his Galra lineage was revealed, a detail he had been innocent of when he arrived at the Castle. She had falsely accused Acxa of being a traitor and a spy while she had done nothing but carefully protect her people.

Allura closed her eyes and surrendered all the pent-up anger within her which she still, knowingly or otherwise, harbored for the Galra. The Galra citizens were not evil; they were victims of the war as much as the Alteans had been. They were ruled and controlled by an evil oppressor Zarkon. And, Honerva, who was as much Altean as Allura. _At the core of the whole saga, it was an Altean who had brought the downfall of Altea!_

As she stilled her turbulence and restlessness, her doubts and fears, she felt a cool serenity filling her core, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. _The true Altean Quintessence._

She considered the Guardian of Oriande who had been reduced into a pitiful state by Honerva. _Alteans are life givers. I take in your negative energy and refill you with my life._ He obviously couldn’t understand whatever Allura was trying to convey. He opened his mouth to fire at her again. This time, she didn’t budge from her stance. _If this kills me, it will. I have to do my part._

She spread out her hands and braced for the impact.

Their Lions rescued them before they could get lost in the Void. Keith was still trying to figure out what was going on around him. _An orb smashed the Galran Palace into pieces?_ “Where did that orb come from?”

“Guys, look out!” Lance shrieked like a kindergartner. “It is the monster from Arus!”

Keith peered out through Black’s windshield. The Arusian monster, courtesy of Honerva, was charging its orb. They didn’t have any time to lose. Before the beast could finish the charging process, they had to strike it down using the sword.

“Guys, there is only way to take down this monster.” He pushed forward the controls. “Form VOLTRON!”

Thankfully, Honerva’s mind was considerate of them to some extent. He felt the familiar pull in his stomach as his Lion took the rightful place as the head of Voltron, Red and Green as the hands and Blue and Yellow as the legs.

Acxa let out a whoop of joy. “Wow, is this how you guys form Voltron? I am actually in a leg...like an actual Blue leg, I can’t believe it!”

In spite of a monster readying its deadly orb before his eyes, Keith couldn’t help smiling at her childlike excitement. Hunk chuckled, having heard this very dialogue twice before. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

“I think Sincline too had a similar arrangement, had we not—Whoa!”

Out of nowhere, an orb hit them right in the head. _Where did that come from? The dude is still charging his ball!_ “What the heck was that?”

Before anyone could answer his question, another orb hit them, this time in Voltron’s guts. Hunk stated his happy thought of the day. “The monster upgraded itself. It has three power orbs now!”

“He couldn’t do that the last time we fought him!”

Pidge clucked as if she had her own daily happy thought. “This is Honerva’s mind. Anything can happen. She must have guardians to protect her thoughts and memories.” _Great! Very comforting to hear._ “But wait, where are the original Paladins?”

Suddenly, four Lions separated from Voltron. They started to fire at the Arusian monster from all directions. _The original Paladins!_

“Voltron, keep going,” Alfor’s voice came through. “Find Allura. We will hold off the beast.”

Voltron rushed past the monster. It tried to fire at them, but the older Paladins laid down cover for them. “Thanks for the help, Paladins.”

“But now, what?” Hunk asked. “Where do we go?”

Keith spotted a slender sliver of light pierced in the fabric of the landscape, now rapidly closing. He pushed Voltron towards it. “Lance, now!”

Lance picked up on his command right away. The two of them twisted their Bayards in the ports of their respective Lions. Immediately, the sword materialized in Red’s jaws whereas the booster wings formed on the back. They plunged the sword into the gap to widen it enough for them to pass through.

A blazing light engulfed them as the scene behind them shattered and collapsed in on itself.

Wave after wave of darkness rolled off the White Lion with his every roar that shook the very essence of Oriande and kept merging into the already thickening bubble around Allura. The pain was excruciating, but she didn’t back down.

She let his thoughts wash over her. He was ashamed of his failure to guard Oriande. He had been easily trapped in the shackles of Honerva’s dark magic. His Quintessence had been siphoned out of him in order to power her abominations. He could do nothing to prevent Honerva from taking over Oriande, destroying the statues of the holy Sages, constructing her Robeasts and tainting the sacred lands of ancient alchemists. He had failed in his duties and been reduced to nothing more than a shell of his once majestic self.

_It is not true,_ Allura spoke, hoping her thoughts would bring him back. _You did what you could. You gave her the opportunity to gain the ultimate knowledge from Oriande as you have given to every other worthy Altean for eons._

Allura was not sure if the White Lion heard her thoughts. With one last mighty roar, he disappeared into thin air.

She wanted to check on him, but she could manage just one step before she staggered and collapsed on the floor.

Keith was getting tired of winding up in bizarre places. This time, he found himself lying on his face, in a valley of fuchsia purple flowers. He slowly sat up and winced at his throbbing temple. 

“Oh, man!” Someone groaned next to him. _Hunk._ “Whoa! That was rough.”

He looked around him. The older Paladins were nowhere to be found. _I do hope they make it out safely from the Arusian monster and join us._ Their Lions were also nowhere to be seen. His friends were all present, more or less in good shape. Except for Allura.

Lance stood up and stretched his hands above his head. “Guys, the hill is covered in juniberry flowers.”

“You mean, as in _Altean_ juniberries?” Pidge plucked a flower and held it up to her nose. “Mom was cultivating some of these on the Atlas.” She wrinkled up her nose. Beautiful as they looked, they probably smelled bad.

Wisps of scarlet clouds floated lazily in the deep violet hued sky. Keith couldn’t decide if it was the daytime or night. “Then this must be the Altea as Honerva remembers it.”

“Guess so.” Lance put his hands on his hip. “Wonder what kind of weird, freaky thing is gonna attack us here.”

There were many instances in his life where Keith had sincerely wished that Lance would just keep his mouth shut. This was one among them. Lance hadn’t finished putting his tongue back in its place, when a gigantic object thumped to the ground behind them, stirring up a dust storm around itself instead of landing unannounced.

He huffed in exasperation. “Well, does that answer your question?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, so this chapter was mostly Allura-centric. My precious girl finally gets her time to shine! She has learnt her lessons the hard way and now, she is struggling to become a better person and prove to herself that she won't become another Honerva. The next chapter will be the culmination of the war prep arc and Ch. 16 onward, we go to battle Honerva along with the Paladins. Stay tuned!


	15. Knights of Light, Part - II

Allura stirred awake with a warm, wet snout in her face. A feline creature was nudging her side with its large paw, the way cats did to a bug to check if it was still alive. She slowly turned her head to find herself staring into a pair of ferocious amber eyes.

She scrambled backwards with a start. A tick later, she registered what was going around her. The creature sniffing her face was none other than the White Lion, the Guardian of Oriande. The bizarre incidents occurring one after the other for the past ten quintants must have taken a toll on her mental stability, for she didn’t think twice before throwing her arms around his broad neck and crying, “You survived!”

The Lion purred against her cheek. _Because of you, brave Altean,_ he spoke in her mind. _You sacrificed almost your entire Quintessence in an attempt to save us. For that, you have our eternal gratitude._

She sniveled like a little girl against him, out of sheer relief that she had succeeded in her quest, that he had been finally rescued from Honerva’s clutches after suffering for decaphoeebs and that, now they had a vital chance to defeat the witch. “But, why didn’t you try to save yourself? You could have easily killed Honerva if you tried.”

He gently disentangled himself from her embrace to shake his lush mane. He seemed to be mildly disappointed by her suggestion. _My dear child,_ he rumbled soothingly. _I am not the one who makes the choice of killing or sparing someone. I am only the guardian of the Oriande. I guard the Sages, the knowledge-givers and the life-givers._

He trudged to the barren walls and butted his head sadly against the now-empty seats of the Sages. They were all gone, their essence melted into nothingness by the actions of one Altean. His form shimmered dangerously as though he was restraining himself from turning back into his original form of a supermassive white hole, which would have burnt Allura to a crisp for she was just a few feet away from him. 

_My duty is merely to allow entry to the worthy Alteans,_ he continued after a beat, his tail swishing to and fro. _Once you have passed my trials and gained the knowledge from the Ancients, it is up to you to decide how to use it._

He turned those deadly yet beautiful eyes on her. _She chose to use her learning against us and bring down Oriande. You decided to try and save us from her. Everything that happens in the Universe is a choice. Choice of living creatures like yourself. The divinity isn’t responsible for your actions. We can only guide you. At the end, it is you who should make the choice._

Allura suddenly realized that she had underestimated and misinterpreted the sorceress.

_Honerva passed the trials, after all._

Her heart constricted from the fear bubbling in her stomach. Till now, Allura had acted on the impression that even if Honerva was adept in the realm of dark magic, she didn’t possess the ancient alchemy of Oriande. But now...? She was definitely way more powerful than Allura. And, above all, if she succeeded in her Mid-Equinox Day ritual, the chances of defeating her would come down to naught. 

She took a deep breath to calm herself. “You mean to say that at the end, when I am to face Honerva, I will also face a choice to kill her and end this war or to spare her life in spite of all her crimes?”

His golden eyes softened in an omniscient smile. Probably, he already knew what is to happen in the future. Allura felt it unfair that he could see her future and yet choose not to tell her. She remembered too late that he could listen to all the thoughts passing through her mind.

 _It is not for me to speak your future, my child,_ he said. _You are wise for your age and you will make the right choice, never fear. I have a gift, a token of gratitude for the brave Altean._

To her surprise, the White Lion knelt down on his front paws before her. _I hereby name you the Lion Goddess, the Saviour of Oriande. I assign you as the five hundred and fourteenth Sage in the Temple of Alchemy. Please accept your titles of honor, Lion Goddess!_

Truly stunned, Allura crossed her arm over her knee in the traditional Altean salute. A divine white light completely enveloped her even as the landscape crumbled around her.

It was definitely Zarkon. Keith knew the gigantic armored Robeast from their battle against him. He had wrapped his whip sword around Voltron and would have killed all the Paladins, had Shiro not seized the Black Bayard from his hands at the final moment. They then proceeded to stab Zarkon with the Blazing Sword. Shiro had to sacrifice his life in the process.

As soon as the Robeast roared and raised his giant sword to attack them, Keith yelled at his team. “Find safety! I will distract it.”

“What? No way!”

Lance was right, but currently they had no plan B. They didn’t have their Lions. Without their Lions, they were powerless against the beast. All he could do was to buy them some time.

“Just go!” he shouted. His friends didn’t stay to argue any further. They scurried away in different directions. 

Keith jetpacked over to where the creature loomed. He wondered if the armor reflected the wearer’s thoughts because contempt seemed to be written large on his face like he was thinking: _What is this puny thing talking to me?_

He didn’t deter. “You were their leader,” he screamed, his courage boosting with every word. “They trusted you, and you betrayed them. You don’t _deserve_ the Black Lion!”

His voice cracked embarrassingly at the last word just to mock at his new found courage.

Zarkon didn’t stop to verbally respond to his challenge. He swung his sword to hack him into two pieces. Keith watched wide-eyed as the distance between himself and the sword rapidly dwindled down. Just then, a protective hemispherical halo surrounded him. _The Black Lion!_

Instantly, the rest of the Lions appeared beside him on either side. They roared triumphantly one after the other, and Keith knew exactly what was to be done.

“Form VOLTRON!”

“Where am I?”

For the millionth time, Allura had landed on a surface in the midst of nowhere. All she could see was thunder booming intermittently in the inky sky.

“What is this place?” she asked to no one in particular.

She had forgotten that the White Lion was still with her. He padded over to her side. _She had trapped my spirit in her consciousness to guard her bitter memories. Since you have released me, you are allowed into this realm and glimpse all the secrets she locked up for eons._

“But I don’t see...anything?”

As if on cue, a lightning bolt crackled to the ground, brightening a portion of the sky for a tick.

A little girl with familiar gold-purple eyes, light purple hair and orange Altean markings skipped about and giggled happily, not a care in the world. An older woman, most likely her mother, was laughing at her antics.

“Honerva!” she gasped. Another scene materialized in the violet clouds.

Honerva was sitting beside a young man with pure white hair. They appeared to be in the Advanced Alchemy class, judging from the pile of books next to them. The young man looked on in awe as Honerva excitedly performed another novel experiment and smiled at her enthusiasm as he noted down the result.

Allura could have recognized the young man anywhere. _Father!_

She recalled Coran’s tale of the history of Voltron. Honerva and her father had been classmates and close friends from college. It was he who had invited her to conduct her experiments on the rift on Planet Daibazaal. That event marked the beginning of all the destruction that was to last another ten thousand decaphoeebs from then.

Honerva’s memories kept coming swiftly.

She was receiving the Medal of Honor at her graduation for being the top student in her class.

Zarkon was fondly watching her as she performed her experiments on the Transreality rift with the same fervor she had in her Advanced Alchemy class.

The couple was lovingly gazing into one another’s eyes on their marriage day. King Alfor, Queen Melenor, Coran and the rest of the Paladins cheered and teased the coy couple even as the many other Altean guests reveled with their Galran hosts at the lavish wedding party.

Allura took a shaky breath. She had always perceived Honerva to be a crafty, brooding witch, cloaked in ancient funeral garbs and dark magic ready at her fingertips. However, now looking at her lost memories, she felt a pang of grief. Honerva was not always evil. There was a time in her life when she was a beautiful, gentle and carefree scientist.

She turned to the Guardian. “I don’t understand. These are but the beautiful memories of her life. I had expected something else to be her bitter memories like...like her failures or her weaknesses or something.”

 _I wonder?_ The White Lion pawed at the ground in contemplation. _Why do you think these might be her bitter memories?_

Then, it struck her. These were actually her bitter memories, a time she could never go back to. A time she probably cherished deep in her mind even when her obsession with Quintessence began.

The next scene showed Honerva in a uniform bearing the Galran insignia and in a furious argument with King Alfor.

Allura knew what the argument was. Her father advised Honerva to stop her experiments on the rift but she had bluntly refused. “Had only she listened to my father, this madness would never have happened.”

_Well, the same can be said for your father too. Had only your father listened to you, the war could have been totally avoided._

“My father never—” she started angrily, but then she realized that his statement was actually true. Her father had hidden away the Lions and consequently, abandoned the Universe to its fate. If he had agreed to her suggestion, they could have reformed Voltron. Allura had no doubt he would have been the one to pilot Black in that case.

So, Lotor and Keith’s views about her father were not wrong after all. Both of them had, on two different occasions, said that he was not a real fighter when the chips were down. That he was too weak to protect his people.

“It wasn’t because he was weak,” she mumbled, trying to defend her father. “But because he made a choice which felt right to him at the time.”

Allura could feel the White Lion’s smile. _Come with me,_ he said simply. _There is more you need to see._

Just like the last time they had battled Zarkon, he wrapped his whip sword around the Black Lion. Keith felt lethal shocks pass through his body, draining his life force. _This is how Shiro felt in the final moments of his life?_

He clenched tighter onto the controls. “Hunk! Form shoulder cannon!”

“I can’t—Ah!” Zarkon sent another intense shock through his whip sword and sent Voltron crashing onto the ground.

The Robeast stomped to them. Zarkon was determined to telepathically seize control of Black and tear her apart from Voltron. But Keith was equally determined not to lose control come what may. If Zarkon prided himself of having exceptionally unyielding Galra genes, he was to meet a match in Keith.

A second later, he descended into one of Black’s visions from the past.

Zarkon has waged a war against King Alfor and the other Paladins in his quest to seize the Lions of Voltron. Unfortunately, they are almost on the verge of losing.

Trigel and Gyrgan are carrying an injured Blaytz between the two of them, when a Quintessence doped Zarkon halts them in their path. He has a single question for them. “Where are the Lions?!”

“They have been destroyed,” Blatyz replies.

Zarkon is not pleased by his answer. “You dare lie to me?”

“It’s the truth,” asserts Trigel. “You will never see your Lion again.”

He sneers threateningly. “Neither will you.”

He steps aside to make way for his witch Haggar. Her face is not visible as usual, hooded by her cloak. She raises her fingers at the Paladins, a dark sphere already forming in her palms.

The Paladins can only watch helplessly as purple lightning arches towards them. 

“That is how the original Paladins ended up trapped here!” The mystery of their quest finally became clear to him. “They didn’t die in battle. Haggar drained their Quintessence and trapped their minds inside her consciousness.”

“Keith!” Pidge gasped nervously. “What do we do? The Robeast is gonna destroy us!”

“Hunk, Acxa? Use the thrusters. We need to get Voltron back upright.”

Their voices came through. “Trying, but the impact is too—whoa! What’s that?”

The four Paladins had come to their rescue. The skies opened up in a booming flood of light and the four Lions landed onto the ground with a loud roar. They immediately took their respective places on Voltron.

Voltron was now up and fighting on its feet. Before Zarkon could even process the new development, Keith took charge of the situation.

“Form sword!”

They charged to the front and plunged the sword right into the creature’s heart. Zarkon struggled to manifest his Bayard in his hand again, but Keith was not going to take any chances. He twisted his Bayard into its port to set the length of the sword into a fiery blaze.

The Robeast exploded in a powerful blast. When the air cleared, a wrecked mecha lay upon the ground. Soon, the debris too disappeared in a flash.

In its place appeared the Black Lion and her original Paladin who had destroyed the Universe for years in a bid to find her.

Allura followed the White Lion into a dense forest of entangled weeds. Since they were in Honerva’s mind, she guessed these must be a bundle of nerves.

“Another part of her bitter memories?” she asked.

 _No, these are the memories she thinks she still has the chance to set right,_ he answered. _Watch and you will understand._

He shot a stream of intense pink fire and cleared a portion of the weeds. Immediately, a series of visions from postwar Daibazaal gushed in.

A heavily pregnant Haggar was lying in her cot, surrounded by Galra medics and Zarkon. Allura heard the wails of a newborn baby, but neither parent was interested in it. Zarkon ordered his servants to take it out of his sight.

A young Lotor was demanding the whereabouts of his mother from his father. Again, Zarkon ordered the Dayak to properly punish the child to prevent him from asking such questions again.

Lotor was playing with Kova as Haggar looked on with an impassive face.

Zarkon and Haggar were walking down a royal hallway that opened into a balcony to address the crowds gathered below. Lotor and a lady, possibly the leader of the primitives of the planet, knelt down before them.

“Father, our Quintessence yields are some of the highest in the Empire, and we’ve been more efficient than any other. By working alongside the denizens of this planet, like Ven’tar here, we’ve outsourced—”

Zarkon roared in rage. “You dare work with this pitiful race as if they are your equals?”

Lotor was unfazed. He stood up straight to face his father. “It is working. We have outpaced even the most generous projections.”

“The heir to the Galra throne should not sully our honor by working with his subjects!”

Lotor closed his eyes in frustration. “That is the way my mother’s people would have done things.”

Zarkon opened his mouth to bellow out some more of his fury on his son, but Lotor interrupted him. “You thought I couldn’t find out more about my mother? About her people? You thought you destroyed every remnant of Altea, but you cannot unless you destroy your own son as well!”

Allura couldn’t believe what she was hearing. _Lotor stood up for the people of the planet and for the Alteans?_ Watching the conversation between father and son, a small memory tingled at the bottom of her skull.

“You know, I envy you growing up with King Alfor,” Lotor’s voice as they climbed the rocks at Oriande together echoed in her mind. “I wanted to be an explorer and learn about the Universe. My father was only interested in conquering it.”

Then, he had gone on to narrate how he had been put in the Quintessence mining activity on a planet for a year, and how he had enjoyed his time working with the leadership of the planet and with the local population. Zarkon found out about this and ordered for the planet to be destroyed. Allura guessed this must have been the planet Lotor was speaking about.

“So, Lotor was...good once upon a time before he turned evil?” she mused. “Just like his parents?”

She remembered how Keith had stood up for Acxa and was prepared to stake everything including the Black Lion, just to protect her honor. And at the time, they were not even in a romantic relationship; they just knew and respected each other as warriors.

_Whereas she and Lotor had been on course of planning their royal alliance before the whole battle erupted._

Did she give up too quickly on him? Did she turn a blind eye on his pleading? Could it be that she was actually wrong? No, she was not. Lotor had clearly built the second colony for the Alteans in order to drain out their Quintessence and kill them in the process.

She drew a long breath. Lotor was long dead by now. She had to focus on her present mission. “I need to get back to the Paladins.”

The White Lion growled in his throat. _Indeed, you do. You would have to destroy this locker to reach their location. Beware! She will definitely find out your presence if you do so._

“That can’t be helped,” she muttered and raised her hands. She felt an energy ripple to her fingertips. More specifically, the dark energy she had drawn from the White Lion’s core into herself.

And then, the whole prison of memories ripped apart by a vortex of dark Quintessence.

Keith had no idea what to make of the uncorrupted Zarkon. He called the old Paladins fondly by their names, nodded graciously towards the new Paladins and looked happily around himself as if he had just met his centuries old friends for a fishing day out with them, which was probably true in itself, and not like he was guilty of the millions of war crimes he had committed over the centuries.

The Paladins, however, were not pleased. Alfor frowned at his former leader whereas the other three sadly stared at the ground. Zarkon was probably about to ask something in the lines of _Hey, what’s wrong? Why so serious?_ when Keith suddenly noticed a solitary figure staggering towards them. “Guys, look! It’s Allura!”

Lance rushed to her before she could drop to the ground, followed by everyone else. “What’s wrong with her?”

Allura opened her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. “I—I am fine, guys,” she murmured weakly. “We need to make haste and get out of here.” 

“Why? What’s happening?”

“Honerva...she knows we are here. We need to get out before she tries to—Father?!” Her flickering eyes stopped at King Alfor, who was kneeling beside Lance. “Father, how are you here?”

He stroked her hair gently. “Your friends rescued our souls trapped inside Honerva’s consciousness. You have indeed found the worthiest Paladins of all you could have from the entire Universe.”

“Father, it is so good to see you again,” she said tearfully. “All that I have done, I have done to make you proud.”

“It is fitting that I would find what is brightest to me in the darkest place.” 

She wept silent tears of joy into his chest. Then, she stilled as if struck by a sudden thought and disengaged from his embrace. “Wait, if all the original Paladins were rescued, does that mean Zarkon is here too?”

All eyes immediately turned to the former king of the Galra. The guy looked visibly anxious from all the attention. “Why is everyone staring at me? Did I do something wrong?”

Keith scoffed internally. _Dude, nothing you did for the past ten thousand years is even close to being called right!_

Allura rose to her feet, a bitter sneer on her face. “Did you do something wrong? What an ironic question you have for us, Emperor Zarkon! Allow me to show you how many _right_ deeds you have done in your long life.” 

“What do you mean?”

She didn’t answer. She simply placed her palms on either sides of his head and shoved him to the ground in an increasing aura of pink. Zarkon was brought down to his knees amidst screams of agony as ten thousand years worth of apparently lost memories of his barbaric acts returned to him.

He begged for forgiveness on his knees. “I am sorry. I didn’t realize what I was—”

“You knew exactly what you were doing. You killed millions. You deceived and betrayed your friends and allies!”

Tears trickled down his face. “The Quintessence...it blinded me.”

Keith had no wish to forgive the guy with just one line of apology when he was personally affected by his actions. _I don’t think any amount of apology is going to suffice. He is the one who took away Shiro’s arm and killed him._ At the same time, he knew that they might need his help in their fight against Honerva. “If you are truly sorry for what you have done, help us stop your witch. She is the one last remaining threat for the Universe.”

The Emperor of Daibazaal hesitated. “I—I don’t know. Honerva has become too powerful. Is it possible to stop her now?”

Keith would have said something blatantly sarcastic or called him out on his cowardly answer and ruined their only chance of victory in the battle, when Allura thankfully saved the day.

She clutched her head with a sharp cry and sank down to the ground. “Allura!” Lance shouted. “Allura! What’s happening?”

“Honerva!” Her voice strained in pain. “She is here. I feel the—”

She didn’t get to finish what she was saying. She passed out in his arms.

Unfortunately, they were facing a much bigger problem.

During his time with the Blades, Keith had been to some planets with a permanent anticyclone raging on its surface. The cyclone that was threatening to engulf them was ten times more powerful and darker in nature. It swept off all the Lions in one single swoop.

“How do we get out from here?” Hunk had obviously started to panic. “Allura fell unconscious. The Lions just disappeared. We are stranded here. We are gonna die here! Just like the older Paladins, we too—”

“Hunk, not helping. We just need to get to our Lions, or—”

“You are in her mind. She is more powerful here.” Zarkon was as pessimistic as ever. Keith wondered if he was always like this or it was the effect of being trapped in her mind for so long. “There is no way you can get to the Lions. There is nothing you can do but accept defeat.”

“No!” Keith turned around to face his older counterpart. “We won’t give up. I will never give up on my team like you did. There must be a way out and I will find it.”

Zarkon narrowed his eyes at him. “That’s your Galra lineage,” he said appraisingly. “It’s what makes you a great leader of Voltron. You and I share that trait.” _You and I are not the same, Mr. Zarkon. I will never betray my team, whatever happens._ “But, look where it has led the two of us. My desire for unlimited Quintessence was the catalyst for ten thousand decaphooebs of destruction. Your quest to save the Universe took you into the mind of a psychopath.”

“I think I know how.” King Alfor rose to his feet, a tiny purple blob in his palm. “This is the dark entity I pulled out from Allura’s body. It is how Honerva is tracking us. I suppose if we destroy it, we can all get out in our Lions.”

“The Lions are gone, Alfor. We cannot ever get to our Lions.”

Keith was completely exasperated. “No, Voltron isn’t gone! Voltron is within each and every one of us. We are bonded to it, and to each other.”

Alfor nodded in agreement. “Keith is right. We have one last chance to set things right. We cannot do it without you. Ride with us one last time, Zarkon!”

Zarkon turned around, probably contemplating his choices. Just as Keith thought he would make yet another excuse, he drew the familiar scimitar form of his Black Bayard. “Form VOLTRON!”

King Alfor let the entity float upwards into the violet sky of Honerva’s Altea, which was on the verge of collapsing due to her massive mental cyclone. Instantly, it painted the sky in a ghastly black hue. “We need to pierce through the fabric of her mind. That is the only way to escape!”

The Paladins of new and old joined their minds and called out to their Lions. Of course, the strength of ten Paladins working together as one was more than enough to hunt down their Lions in the raging cyclone.

Soon, Black transformed as the head of Voltron, bearing the spirits of both her Paladins within. Keith had a deep hatred for Zarkon, but he tried his best to open his mind to him so that they could form Voltron without an issue.

Between her father and her faithful lover, an unconscious Allura was comfortably kept in Red as she raced to form the right hand of Voltron.

Pidge and Trigel brought in Green as the left hand while Hunk and Gyrgan formed one leg of Voltron. Finally, the mega robot completed with the Blue Lion as the other leg, Acxa and Blaytz together piloting her.

“Form Blazing Sword!” Keith didn’t know who gave the order, Zarkon or himself. Honestly, he didn’t care. As long as they got out safely, he was ready to work with the soul of the evil Galra overlord. Or, more accurately, the Galra overlord who had to be reminded of his crimes spanning centuries he had conveniently forgotten.

 _Keith, can we focus on the mission of exiting Honerva’s consciousness now?_ Zarkon’s voice startled him into reality. _Later, you can shout at me all you want._

Keith rolled his eyes. _Thanks for the timeout signal, Zarkon!_

Together, they thrust Voltron’s Blazing Sword into the center of the continually growing dark entity and shred it into a million shards of light.

And then, he sat up in his bed in the sick bay aboard the Atlas.


	16. The Fall of Oriande, Part - I: Zenith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter onward, I will be writing in the 'battle' format I used in most of the chapters of 'The Last Stand'. 
> 
> Hope you like this chapter! Happy reading!! :)

**DAY 254**

**2345 hours: Keith’s room, IGF Atlas**

Keith could not sleep. After a hot shower and a hearty meal, courtesy of Vrepit Sals’, he stretched out on his bunk hoping slumber would take hold of him soon. After an hour and half of useless tossing and turning, he gave up and switched on the bunk lamp. _Why is my mind so restless? And more importantly, how did Commander Holt assume I could sleep just hours before a crucial battle?_

The Paladins and Princess Allura had safely woken up in the sickbay after their wild adventures in Honerva’s mindscape. Coran had informed they still had twelve hours left before the Mid-Equinox.

On hearing this, Commander Holt decided that the six of them should get some rest. “Yes, I understand they put you under for three days,” he said. “But only your bodies have been resting. From what I hear, your minds have been through a lot. My suggestion, no, command is that you guys get proper sleep for a minimum of eight hours.”

Keith insisted that at least he should be involved in the war plans, but Sam Holt was not ready to entertain any excuses. “Keith, no. I appreciate you want to help, but there is not much for you to do. We are currently mobilizing forces from the planets under Voltron Coalition. With Kolivan, Krolia, Matt and Captain Olia at the frontlines, we have enough assistance. All you need to do is sleep well tonight and be at your best for the battle tomorrow.” 

He leaned back against his pillow. He missed Kosmo’s warmth. He used to snuggle him to sleep every night. Now that he had given his wolf to his mom for safekeeping, there was no way he could get him back before the battle was over. He almost considered going to her, but decided against it. _Mom is busy with war preparations. How can I go to her for something so silly like this...? Mom, give me Kosmo ‘coz I can’t sleep, eh?_

He was looking up the remedies for insomnia when there was a knock at the door. Lazily, he rolled down from his bunk onto all fours and got up to open the door. _Who is it? Hunk? Lance? Ha-ha, are they not able to sleep as well? Or maybe, Kosmo! No, it isn’t him...he won’t knock before entering._

However, his guesses were all wrong. He opened the door to find... _Acxa?_ “Acxa!” he stammered. “Wha-what are you doing here?” _Outside my room? In the men’s quarters? In the middle of the night?_

She was dressed in the Garrison colors—a casual white tee, a pair of orange sweatpants and loafers. Keith had never seen her in Earth clothing before. Even on their perimeter checks, which he thought of as ‘date’, she wore her Blades uniform. _Quiznack, she looks gorgeous in literally anything._ “Keith, I wish to talk to you.”

“Oh.” _Oh no! What did I do?_ “Come in.”

**2355 hours: Keith’s room, IGF Atlas**

Thankfully, he had cleaned his room earlier that evening. Though she didn’t pay any attention to the décor or so much as to him, he was consciously aware of the room becoming louder and bigger around himself. _Stop imagining things, Keith! She must be here to consult you as the leader of Voltron, and not as her boyfriend._

The girl in question stood with her back against a table, half leaning half sitting, her arms folded over her chest and eyes drooped in deep thought. Her brooding face usually meant she was building an intricate and perfectly infallible plan.

_If this is against me, I am done for. She must be planning my murder. But why? Last I checked, we were fine. Did I crack another steal-my-scaultrite joke? Did I blurt out something about Lotor? Ezor? Zethrid? Perhaps, it’s because I didn’t compliment on how good she looked in her Paladin armor. Or, because I agreed with her that she doesn’t need any protection? Or, because my mouth tasted pretty bad when she kissed me?! That’s impossible. I brush my teeth—_ “Keith?”

She was gazing intently at him. “Hmm?”

“Can I hug you?”

His brain, which had gone into an overload processing a bunch of unnecessary scenarios, couldn’t register her simple question. _Hug me?_

It was at times like these his instincts would instantly take over.

He opened his arms for her to run into. She had to stoop a bit to place her head on his shoulder and settle into a comfortable position. She wrapped her arms around his waist. _Acxa came all the way to my room just to hug me?_ He gently put his hand on the small of her back.

Also, his instincts were generally correct. There _was_ something wrong with her. The Galra ran at relatively lower body temperatures, but even by Galra standards, her body was too cold. “Acxa, you are shivering cold. Are you sick? Should I take you to the med bay? Wait, I will get my jacket.”

She shook her head, her face muffled in his shirt. “Just stand still. I want to hug you for a few doboshes.”

_Okay._ He brought up his other hand to stroke her soft hair. _Why is she like this?_ He could clearly see something was disturbing her; she was just not spilling it out to him. However, Keith knew better than to press her for an answer.

And then, a most unexpected accident happened. She was starting to lift her head from his shoulder when the sharp ridge of her horn cut against his palm. A little yelp escaped his mouth, more from the shock than the pain, but the damage was done. A tiny trickle of blood ran down his finger and dropped to the floor. 

**0020 hours: Keith’s room, IGF Atlas**

To say she was shocked was an understatement. She apologized a hundred times, declared that coming to his room was a mistake and insisted on dressing a minor scratch in a swathe of bandages.

“Come on,” Keith tried again. “It’s just a small cut. It doesn’t pain at all. Heck, I can’t even see it!”

“That’s because I cleaned it. Maybe, your Galra genes would speed up the healing process,” she paused and continued. “I am so sorry, Keith. I should have been more careful. My horns are total nuisance, useless piece of appendage...”

She kept muttering under her breath even as she pulled his hand into her lap and dabbed the wound with disinfectant. _Why is she freaking out so much? It is unlike her to make such a big deal out of nothing._ He examined her handiwork. “Um, isn’t this heavy bandaging bit overkill? How am I supposed to wear my gloves now?”

The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Acxa stilled for a second and then, kicked away the first aid kit. It crashed against the table into a mess of glass shards, pungent smelling liquid and a pile of bandage rolls. 

Keith was stunned. “Acxa, what are you doing?!”

“I am hopeless, Keith. I feel so...ugh!” She entangled her claws in her hair and tugged on it violently. “I don’t even know what I feel.”

He stared at her. Acxa seemed to be on the verge of breaking down. Her face bore the exact expression he had perceived when they were trapped in Honerva’s mind. It wasn’t doubt, confusion or paranoia. It was pure terror. “You are scared,” he noted. 

Her eyes flashed red with annoyance. “I am not.”

“You are.” He slowly crawled over to where she had wreaked havoc on the medicinal items. “I don’t know why, but I know you _are_ scared.”

He glanced over his shoulder, but she pulled up her knees to her chest and hid her face in between. Sighing heavily, he started to pick up the unspoiled rolls. “Come to think of it, you have been acting weird ever since you freed Blaytz. Why? Did he tell you something?” _Did he advise you not to get involved with a Black Paladin?_ “Or, did you, perhaps...see something down there?”

For a long beat, he could hear nothing but the sound of her steady breathing. Then, she murmured slowly. “I feel utterly incompetent. Magic isn’t even my field of expertise. My presence on the team might ruin our chances of victory.”

“No, what are you talking about? Your presence is invaluable to the team, _to me_. If it wasn’t for you, we could never have known Honerva abducted the Alteans, nor could we have known about Oriande and...” His voice trailed away when he realized she wasn’t listening to him. “Huh? You are lying, aren’t you? It isn’t about being a Voltron Paladin that you are worried about. It is something else.”

“Keith, what—”

He took a deep breath. “Is it me? Are you—are you frightened of me?”

She shook her head but the vulnerability reflected in her eyes confirmed his worst suspicions. From the time she had rejoined the team after escaping from Honerva’s consciousness, he had a gut feeling this might be the case.

“Keith, it isn’t you. It is...how to say? Look, you must understand that throughout my life, I have never deterred myself from following the Galra code—Victory or Death.”

He knew it too well. The Galra, however they might transform themselves, always adhered to a strict moral in their lives, something happily offering death as one of its choices. Keith had personally tried to eradicate the idea of an entire civilization working on the basis of a three-word motto. He suggested there might be more ways to solve a problem than just succeed or die.

It ended with the Galra wringing his head off in a _Victory or Death_ versus _Knowledge or Death_ which-is-better-motto fight. _It was the Death option I wanted to get rid of, guys!_

“But now, for the first time, I want neither.” Acxa swallowed thickly. “I just want to live. Not survive, but _live_. Live my life to the fullest.”

“That’s great!” _Finally, a Galra who understands what I have been preaching from forever!_ “You know, once this whole war is over, I wanna do just that. Live happily ever after, as they say? With you, Mom, Kosmo. No more wars, no more going on dangerous missions, uh, well, that might be there, but still...huh?”

She was cupping his cheek. The coarse pads of her claws brushed against his light stubble, making his heart jump into his throat. “It feels like a dream, doesn’t it?”

“Well, I’m determined to make the dream into a reality.”

“I wish,” she sighed longingly. “But it feels like a short-lived dream.”

“Okay, now _you_ are scaring me.” _From when did she become so poetic?_ “What are you trying to say?”

Acxa smiled at his words, but there was an undertone of sorrow behind her smile. “What I mean is I am not scared of you. I am, well, I am...scared of _losing_ you...losing _us_.”

“Hey, stop worrying. I am not going anywhere.” He covered her hand with his good one. “As long as we are together, we are gonna be fine. We have our Lions, our Bayards and I have faith in Allura’s abilities. And I promise I’ll protect you.”

She peeked up at him from under her thick eyelashes. _When did she get so close to me?_ Her thumb was slowly stroking along the edge of his Galra marking. A strange sensation started to fill his body, urging him to lose himself in the azure wells of her eyes. Their proximity was already intoxicating.

“I know,” she sighed again, this time her lips lush against his. “I promise you the same. I will protect you with whatever it takes.” 

**DAY 255 (DAY OF MID-EQUINOX)**

**0700 hours: Briefing room, IGF Atlas**

The briefing room was chock-a-block with people and information. Everyone was chattering and shouting at everyone else. _Ugh! Why does this place feel like one of those Unilu markets on the filthy swap moons?_ However, when Allura entered, closely followed by the Paladins, the chatter died down to the humming of the computers.

“Princess! Good, you are here.” Coran rose from his seat, a grim expression on his face. “We have been consistently receiving some important news. Kolivan?”

Kolivan nodded tersely. “We have confirmation that Honerva’s beasts have touched down on planets Sanook, Vexilum, Siiz and Meaxirez. We continue to receive more transmissions. It seems they are targeting multiple fronts simultaneously.”

Allura checked the coordinates of the planets. Just as she had expected, they were on the opposite corners of the galaxy. _Honerva is definitely going to draw the Quintessence from these planets for her personal galactic Komar._

As if on cue, Veronica broke in, “The planets are reporting activity.” Her fingers furiously typed on her tablet. “The Robeasts are siphoning Quintessence!”

“The witch has started her ritual,” Allura stated firmly. “We have no more time to waste. We need to get to Oriande immediately and see this fight to the end.”

“Right.” Keith stepped forward to the head of the table. “But before that, we need to address the other urgent issues. Kolivan, are the Coalition forces ready?”

“Yes, Keith. The citizens from the planets we have freed so far are all prepared for the war. They are ready with their armaments and their ships. They are awaiting your orders.” 

“What about the Galra forces?”

“I have personally checked the preparations, Keith.” It was Krolia who answered his question. “Four regiments divided under Commanders Lahn, Gnov, Morvok and joint leadership of Ezor and Zethrid. The Galra forces are stronger than ever.”

“Good. We would need all of you at your full strength for this decisive battle. However,” he turned to the small pockets of freedom fighters. “I have a separate assignment for you. Matt and N7, take the evacuation forces to the planet Sanook. You need to evacuate the planet as fast as possible, before the entire Quintessence of the planet is siphoned. Search and rescue should be your first priority.”

“Copy that.”

“Rolo and Nyma, you are in charge of the rescue operations for planet Vexilum. Lieutenant Ozar, Captain Olia, you are to go to Siiz and Meaxirez respectively.”

“Understood.” The group quickly exited the briefing room to follow their instructions.

Allura tried not to stare at Keith. She marveled at the ease with which he was able to take charge of the situation. _He has really come a long way to lead the entire Voltron Coalition from the front._ And strangely this time, she didn’t feel jealous or bitter about him. She felt proud.

Keith was not done with his orders yet. “Coran, run the teludav generators and open up four wormholes to the coordinates of the planets.”

“On it.” 

“Veronica, you need to keep Matt, Commander Holt and myself updated with any real-time intel as and when you receive them.”

She nodded and glued her eyes into her tablet. Finally, Keith turned to her.

“Allura, the rest of the game is yours. How would you like to play it?”

She returned his smirk, feeling an immediate spark of friendship that was to last for generations to come.

**0715 hours: The Bridge, IGF Atlas**

“Here we are, the Patrulian Zone.”

The Patrulian Zone looked exactly like Acxa had described. _Just another blotch of vacuum in the infinity of the Universe._ There were no signs of a white hole ever having existed in the coordinates. Even though Honerva was her nemesis, Allura couldn’t help but grudgingly appreciate the kind of alchemic power the witch must possess to imprison the sacred spirit.

“Princess, now what?”

“Now, we, or rather I, need to release the White Lion and reinstate him to his position of the Guardian of Oriande. Put simply, he needs to take his place in the white hole. Only then can we enter Oriande.”

“Okay...?” Lance frowned doubtfully. “And, how are you supposed to do that?”

She hesitated. She had transferred his spirit from Honerva’s mind into her own. However, to return him into the real world from the astral plane would mean she had to use herself as a host, as a stepping stone before he could reclaim his position. She doubted she would be able to contain such massive amounts of pure energy in her mortal body. Her body would most probably overheat and melt, but she had no choice.

“Coran, bring us in closer,” she decided. “The rest of you—”

She was cut short by a strange blue stream of light running through the length of the hull. The constant chatter of the crew drowned out into background noise. _Are they not seeing what I am seeing?_

All of a sudden, it was just her and the ship. With a start, she realized she alone was able to communicate with Atlas the same way she used to communicate with Blue. The White Lion was prepared to use the Atlas as a host for Allura won’t be able to contain his energy at its fullest. He warned: _There might be some adverse effects as I enter the vessel._

“—happening?! Are you okay?”

“The rest of you?” Allura spoke in a trance, reeling from the thrill of the realization of what was about to happen. “Hold tight!”

Everyone was very familiar with her magical shenanigans to not question her any further and scattered in all directions to whatever solid surfaces they could grab onto.

She gripped the panel before her and called out the spirit of the White Lion from inside.

**0719 hours: The Bridge, IGF Atlas**

Keith had witnessed Allura pull off many powerful feats such as reviving an entire planet, destroying the Sincline by forcing Quintessence onto it from the heart of Voltron and her solo quest to retrieve the white hole spirit, but nothing could prepare him for the ultimate transformation of IGF Atlas into a colossal mecha which stumped even its builder, Commander Holt. 

He had assumed she was just joking when she ordered everyone to hold tight. A second later, he was left eating a boulder.

Allura closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Immediately, she was doused in a white-hot aura. Her skin started to glow and swell painfully. Lance almost leapt to grab her, but Keith pulled him back. _She needs to finish the ritual, buddy. You must not terminate it halfway._

Lines of pure white energy rushed through every joist and strut of the ship, causing giant slabs of metal to creak and grunt their way into a new arrangement. From the slack jawed face that Commander Holt bore, he guessed that even he wasn’t sure of what was going on around him.

Finally, the Bridge of the Atlas was raised to a new height, about twenty times higher than their original position. The sketch of the transformed Atlas pinged on the console.

Allura collapsed on the ground with a tired groan. Lance and Coran immediately rushed to her side, while Keith tried to stand upright and shake some life into his numb legs. “Seriously, how did she do that?! I mean, converting a ship into a robot? Incredible!”

And then, he saw the most magnificent sight he had ever seen in his life. A supermassive white hole shooting pure white light into infinity.

“Woah! Is that—is that the White Hole of Oriande?”

**0722 hours: Hangar bay, IGF Atlas**

Keith sincerely wished the Quantum Abyss had offered him a glimpse into the incidents of today. All he had ever seen was bits and pieces of something that might happen thirty years later in his life or that already happened twenty years ago, no in-between.

He had no idea how the day was about to unravel. He just wanted an answer as to whether they would win and save the Universe or they would be wiped out of this reality along with their Lions. This was going to be the real do-or-die battle of his life. They didn’t have the luxury of failing and living to try and win another day. _It is today or never._ The whole Universe was counting on him, on them.

“So, like this Hangar Bay...is it now the stomach of Atlas? I wonder which part—”

“Lance!” Keith was exasperated. _How can he be in the mood to joke around during such a critical time?_ “Let’s focus on our mission. We don’t have much time. We need to get out there and see this battle to a finish before the witch starts her ritual.”

Hunk leaned against the claw of his Lion’s foot. “Yeah, but without Allura, we are— oh, Keith, look! It’s your mom. And Coran. And the three Alteans. And Allura. Ha, did she run away from the medbay?”

After expending all her energy in transforming the Atlas into a enormous mecha and restoring the White Lion to his original position as the Guardian of Oriande, Allura had collapsed on the Bridge out of exhaustion. The Atlas med techs and Coran had carried her to the sickbay, but from the look of frustration on his face, what Hunk suggested indeed seemed to be the case. 

“I know, Coran,” she was saying. “I know I need to rest. But I cannot. I need to go with the Paladins. This is _my_ fight. Only I can take on Honerva’s dark magic. Remember the last time we fought Zarkon. The witch had siphoned the entire Quintessence out of Voltron.”

His mom motioned him to come over to her side even as Coran and Allura continued to argue over whether she was in the condition to fight or not. Honestly, Keith couldn’t understand the whole point of the argument. _She has to fight alongside us. If she doesn’t and we lose, all of us will die anyways._

“Keith?” Krolia hugged him tightly. “Whatever you do, make sure to come back to me safely...will you?”

He closed his eyes to relish in her warmth for as long as he could. _This might be the last time, after all._ “I will, Mom. And please be careful, you too.”

She gave a slight nod, but Keith knew she was thinking the same. _This might be our last goodbye._ “And here.” She pulled out their blade from her pocket. _Quiznack! I still have Acxa’s blade. I forgot to return it!_ “You should have this.”

Keith considered her offer, but then decided against it. “Mom, you keep it.” He pressed her claws around the hilt. “You can know about my whereabouts from this. Moreover, you don’t have a weapon other than our blade. You might need it in the battle. I have my Bayard; I will be more than okay.”

His mother was not entirely pleased with his answer. But she didn’t argue. She silently put back the blade and hugged him again. “I love you, Keith. I cannot lose you again.”

“And you won’t. We are gonna win and I am coming back to you in one piece.”

“I know you will.” Her eyes were brimming with proud tears. She hastily rubbed her eyes and checked her sleeve computer. “I have to get back, Keith. They might be looking for me.”

“Love you, Mom,” he whispered, not wanting to release her from the hug yet.

She ruffled his hair one last time before turning to leave. 

**0725 hours: Hangar Bay, IGF Atlas**

“I am riding with you, Keith,” Allura declared as soon as he got back to his team. “In the Black Lion.”

He was confused. “You are gonna come with us into the white hole—got that part, but...” _Why Black? Why not Red? King Alfor’s spirit is in Red._ Keith knew her well enough to know that if she flew on Black, she would most certainly blow up at Zarkon. Not that he was any less forgiving of him, but they might have to adjust to his presence to get through this final battle.

“I might get distracted if I am in Red,” she continued nonchalantly. “It is better to put aside all kinds of distractions while we are on the battlefront.” _She will be distracted if she flies in Red, eh!_

Suddenly, he noticed Lance standing by the side, completely red in his face. The guy had the exact expression on his face Keith might have had when Acxa first confessed her love to him. _A look as if his brain has shorted out._ Pidge discreetly nudged his hip but he continued to stare blankly at Allura. _Why? Did she kiss him or something?_

Keith glanced at Acxa. _What’s going on?_

Her eyes answered immediately. _Tell you later._

“Okay then,” he shrugged, feigning indifference. “Let’s take this fight to Honerva. Paladins, get to your Lions! Acxa,” he called as the others scurried away. “Please wait, I—”

“Keith, this isn’t the time. I will tell you later about what happened—”

“What? No, I—I have something for you.” It was then that he spotted Merla, Tavo and Rian at the bottom of Blue’s ramp. The Alteans wore Garrison space suits and looked grim and geared up to accompany them on their mission. “Um, why are the Alteans here?”

“Oh, right. I was about to tell you about this.” The two guys dragged an extremely curious Merla up along the ramp. She kept straining her neck in their direction to try and catch a glimpse of whatever he and Acxa were up to. “They will gather the Alteans who have not been employed as Robeast acolytes and load them into the cargo ship. In the event of something happening to any of us, at least the people can get out safely.”

“Oh, good idea.” _And I never thought of this. Some leader I am._ “By the way,” He pulled out her knife from his pocket. “This is yours.”

Her eyebrows slowly rose in surprise as she took in what he was dangling between two fingers. “My Marmoran blade! How do _you_ have it?!”

That was the very question he had been asking himself from the moment Ezor coolly tossed the blade at him. “Ezor gave it to me.” _Why did she give it to me? She could have returned it herself._ “I never got the chance to return it to you.”

“Oh.” She didn’t question further, probably being used to Ezor’s weird ways. She reached out to take her knife when Keith remembered something Krolia had taught him. _There are different ways for a warrior to return a sword. The grip of a victor, the grip of an equal..._ and so many more that had flown over the top of his head. _Well, how am I supposed to return a girl’s weapon? Ah, I should have asked Mom while she was here._

He decided to go by the way his mom had offered her blade to his dad in his past visions. _Offering the blade in open palms?_

Acxa hesitated for a second and then, gingerly picked it up. _Wait, is she—she blushing?_ No, it was only his imagination. Or, the expression passed as quickly as it came. Whatever the case, she spoke up in her usual monotone, “Thank you, Keith.”

He grabbed her wrist before she could start walking up Blue’s ramp. “Good luck, Acxa.”

She nodded but didn’t meet his eyes. “You too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frankly, I could not understand even a little bit of how Shiro in canon S7 converted the Atlas into a mech. Like, he concentrated on the Infinite Mass Crystal and then, tada, the just-a-lifeless-piece-of-junk called IGF Atlas changed into a huge robo dude? Then, why did the Castle of Lions never change into a robot? Allura used to concentrate on the crystal overhead all the time...?
> 
> Also, if this is how they convert a ship into a robot, then King Alfor? Your legacy is such a failure! You took the trouble of venturing inside a magic white hole etc. etc. whereas a normal guy from Planet Earth does literally nothing to build a robot which is oh-nearly twenty(?) times bigger than Voltron! (I am sorry I said 'build'. For the 'building' part was actually done by Commander Sam Holt, who was just thrown away to one side, to one corner seat...somewhere on Atlas, maybe?...which was not even on the main bridge where even people like Curtis and Veronica sat. Fun fact: he is actually superior in command to all of the people on the Atlas, except maybe for Coran. Yes, Shiro, he is your superior as well and was in command of the Galaxy Garrison for four years prior to Voltron's arrival on Earth. And you are like..."oh, sure, we could use an engineer." Um, excuse me??)
> 
> Also, Atlas is made of normal Earth metals, nothing magical or transreality-ish about it. Plus, Shiro is not an Altean or has any drop of Altean blood inside him. If instead of Shiro, it was Lotor who had converted the ship into robot, I could have agreed to some extent. For, you know, he is also partly an Altean and even, went to Oriande (although he failed the tests of the Guardian). But even then, he couldn't revive his Sincline ships. It was only after Allura infused Lotor's ship with Altean Quintessence, a technique she learnt at Oriande...a place Shiro never went btw,...he was able to join the three ships in one large mech. 
> 
> Here, spirit of the White Lion and the fact that Alteans alchemists can perform powerful rituals on Mid-Equinox Day(Allura, here) are the catalysts to the transformation of Atlas.
> 
> Honerva's Mid Equinox ritual, you can easily guess I think.
> 
> [I don't have anything against Shiro, I am neutral to this character. But if the writers make the character pull off impossible feats like this, it just irks me. In my opinion, none of the Paladins: Shiro, Keith, Lance, Pidge or Hunk can perform this kind of magic. Only Allura doing this, is acceptable to me.]


	17. The Fall of Oriande, Part - II: Resurrection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Thanks for the 1k+ hits, guys! Means a lot to me and this story :) 
> 
> 2\. As I already updated in the fic summary the other day:  
> 'Update 09 June 2020: There have been some additions to Ch.16 (starting from timestamp 0722 hours.) It is only to adjust the length of coming chapter, so interested readers can check out the updated passages.'
> 
> 3\. Please keep in mind the warning, esp. for this chapter: Graphic depiction of violence
> 
> Anyways, happy reading!! Hope you like this chapter.

**DAY 255 (DAY OF MID-EQUINOX)**

**0725 hours: Voltron Lions, Patrulian Zone**

Keith decided there _was_ something truly more magnificent than a booming white hole: the endless armada of the Coalition Forces gathered on the fringes of Patrulian Zone. Over the time, how many ever creatures Voltron had freed from the shackles of Zarkon’s evil rule were all assembled for the final battle.

Shay and her brother Rax were in charge of the Balmerans. They had rallied the people of not only their planet, but also from all the others spread across galaxies. They had played an important role in convincing their fellow Balmerans to join the Coalition and fight up against tyranny. They also brought along five of the mighty beasts to help power the rest of the Coalition ships.

There were more Taujeeran arks than he could make out within the corners of his eyes. This time, their ships looked sturdier and assured to easily withstand a couple of ion cannon blasts. Keith wondered if they had built separate acid blasters, making use of the acid seas on their planet.

The Olkari had designed some wicked looking weapons from what resources they had in Fauxar Galaxy where they were forced to take refuge after one of Honerva’s Robeasts destroyed their planet. Keith knew they were probably burning to get revenge for their late leader, Ryner.

The Puigians, the people of Reiphod, the Arusians and countless other planets who had sworn to stand by Voltron Coalition, were all present with their respective fleets. 

However, the most impressive sight was perhaps that of the Galra. Just within a sweep of his eyes, he could perceive an ocean of ion cannons bearing the distinct purple and red colors which he had once associated with death and destruction, but now accepted as a part of his family.

Presently, Veronica’s face appeared on Black’s console. “Keith, we got incoming! The Robeasts! Honerva must have known about the restoration of the White Lion.”

“Yes, I am picking up energy signatures as well.” He heard Commander Iverson hastily tapping at his console. “I am detecting a minimum of three Robeasts hurtling toward us.”

Allura nodded tensely. Her meaning was clear. _It is time to begin our assault on Oriande._

Keith took a deep breath. “Alright, everybody. Here is the plan. Atlas, you need to cover for Voltron as we enter the white hole. I am sure more Robeasts will keep coming, but Voltron cannot waste time trying to engage them all. We have to attack Honerva directly.”

“I am sure once we destroy the witch, the Robeasts will deactivate automatically,” Allura added. 

Commander Holt answered, “Copy that, Keith.”

“Right. Coalition Forces!” Keith felt self-conscious thinking about his distorted face popping up on the console of every ship. “Your mission is to assist the Atlas in holding off the Robeasts. Remember, the only vulnerable place for the creature is the unarmored aperture on its chest. Attack the creature from all sides. While it is distracted, shoot directly at its chest. Leaders of the respective planets? See to the evasive maneuvers and act accordingly. Is everyone in agreement?”

A cacophony of deep and thin voices boomed over the comm. “Yes, sir!”

“The Altean pilot will certainly get injured...we don’t have a choice. MFEs, your mission is to retrieve the pilot capsule and take the injured Altean to the medbay.”

“You can count on us, Keith,” Griffin promised, probably realizing they had been assigned the riskiest task. 

“Right, then. Good luck, everyone. I am deferring command to Allura.”

Allura stepped forward to the console. “Fellow members of the Voltron Coalition, I am sure this day will go down in history as the day we saved all realities. We cannot do it without you. You all have your missions, you know what to do. Good luck. We will meet again if we live through today.”

Yelling a battle cry that might have echoed for light-years, the Coalition forces charged forward.

**0729 hours: Voltron Lions, Patrulian Zone**

Keith could feel the blazing heat through Black as they got closer and closer to the white hole.

Behind them, Atlas grappled with one of the Robeasts and fired laser at another from its gauntlet. Although the Robeast looked like a Lego Man near the gargantuan mecha, it was soon to be outnumbered. More beasts just kept coming out of Oriande as if having been shaken from a hornet nest.

“They will be fine, Keith,” Allura said, correctly reading his thoughts. “We need to continue on our mission. We need to proceed into Oriande.”

Pidge called, “Keith, there they are! The Olkari cubes.”

The four Olkari cubes had been set in the cardinal directions around the white hole. _Were they present before Allura unleashed the White Lion? Or, did they magically appear at their current coordinates?_ Knowing magical ladies, anything was possible.

“I'm not picking up any signatures,” she continued. “They must not be active.”

“Allura, you said Honerva is gonna use the Olkari cubes for her ritual? Perhaps, if Pidge uses Green’s vine generator and block out the cubes like she did the other day? Won’t it stop her ritual from taking place?”

The Princess pondered over Hunk’s suggestion. “If my predictions are right, the energy she is going to produce will be powerful enough to easily melt through vines. But, yes, it might slow her down.”

Pidge pushed forward her Lion to the nearest cube. “Well, that’s better than nothing.”

Just then, he received a video communication from Matt. “Keith, I am not sure what exactly is going on, but...you need to see this.” 

The scene shifted to where the Robeast had stuck its two sickles into the ground. Streams of pure Quintessence coiled up into the weapons, soon rendering the surface of the planet dark and lifeless. The denizens of the planet were shrieking and running like mad even as Matt’s forces loaded them onto the evacuation ships and advised not to panic. “The planet is almost on the verge of collapsing. I am receiving similar intel from Vexilum, Siiz and Meaxirez.”

Allura drummed her fist at the panel. “The Robeasts are going to feed the cubes with the Quintessence they extracted from the planets. But—oh, no!”

Her eyes widened in shock. Keith followed her gaze to the live feed. The creature leaned back, opened its chest aperture and shot a massive purple beam up into the atmosphere.

Keith immediately realized what it meant. _Four beams of Quintessence, traveling at perhaps a rate of light-years per second, are going to hit the cubes!_ “Pidge, get out of the way! Now!”

Thankfully, Pidge recognized the urgency in his voice and managed to maneuver Green half a click away when, out of nowhere, the empty vacuum of space spat out streams of intense energy from the four directions. They hit their targets perfectly, reflected back and forth till they reached an annular equilibrium and surged through the center of the white hole.

“The witch will destroy everything with this kind of amplified power,” Allura panicked. “We must enter Oriande right now!”

Lance’s face popped up on the screen. “Hey, Allura, don’t you remember? Last time, only _you_ could enter Oriande. All of us were blasted out by the White Lion.”

“That was last time. As of now, I am one of the Sages of Oriande. I give the Lions of Voltron permission to enter the Temple of Alchemists.”

“You are a—what?!”

**0732 hours: Temple of Alchemists, Oriande**

Just like the first time when Allura had gone to Oriande with Lotor, she involuntarily closed her eyes as Black got engulfed in a blinding white light.

And just like the first time, when she opened her eyes, she forgot to breathe for one long moment. The lake of purple clouds parted to reveal the exquisite panorama of the mystical abode of Altean alchemy. The molar shaped hills glittered in aquamarine, pink and turquoise ancient markings and magically floated around the central mountain where the Temple was situated.

Keith rightly summed it up. “Wow! This is incredible!” He looked up at her, trying his best to hide his awe and focus on the mission. “Now, where to, Princess?”

The hills swiftly passed by. The spires of the Temple loomed out of the mist. “There, the Temple of Alchemists. Wait, this place looks different now. There used to be a hill we had to climb by foot. It seems...oh, why am I even asking this?! The monster must have razed it to the ground. In that case, we can fly in directly.” 

“Paladins, follow me. Keep sharp. Honerva is most likely in there.”

**0733 hours: North Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

“Acxa, drop off the Altean leaders over here. This is the North Gate of the Temple. I suppose the courtyard inside would be large enough to dock the cargo ship. Merla, Tavo and Rian? You know what to do once you find our fellow Alteans.”

“Yes, Princess.”

Acxa opened Blue’s hatch and the three Alteans tumbled out. A tick later, they fired their jetpacks, cushioned their landing on the ground and hurriedly sneaked in.

Keith was checking the scanners on Black’s console. “Okay now, where is the witch? More importantly, where did that crazy amplified light go?”

“There!”

Allura pointed to a figure at the teludav posts in front of the East Gate. _Honerva!_ She had either not seen Voltron Lions coming in or she was in the midst of a too important ritual to pay attention to them.

**0734 hours: East Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

Honerva had donned a new olive and gold Altean armor under her typical purple robes. Allura was laying her eyes on the former Galran Empress in flesh and blood for the first time after she had transformed into her alter ego, High Priestess Haggar. The headgear bared a pair of cruel eyes, gaunt face and ghastly red Altean marks bled down to her chin.

The Olkari cubes enhanced beam hit the top of the main dome of the Temple and shot out between the four spires. The ancient markings carved on the building shone brilliantly. And then, the entire Quintessence was channeled into her through the teludav pillars. Honerva shrieked insanely either from pain or exhilaration in absorbing such massive amounts of pure energy.

“What is she doing?!” Hunk screamed over the white noise.

Allura didn’t know. She could only stare at the witch and wonder what exactly was her Mid-Equinox ritual. _Is she going to turn into a Robeast? Is she increasing her lifespan by another ten thousand decaphoeebs? Wow, how did she plan out the whole thing so precisely?_

“Allura?”

She shook her head. “I am not sure. She seems to be harnessing the energy into herself or into one of her Robeasts. But I doubt she would survive the ritual. It is too powerful.”

“Woah, like she is trying to kill herself?” Keith squeezed his forehead in confusion. “This seems to be too good to be true.”

Allura hoped against hope that the witch might have finally yielded to ten thousand decaphoeebs of madness and decided to put an end to it. _As Keith says, it is too good to be true._

It was Pidge who shattered her hopes. “Uh, Princess? I don’t think so. Look!”

**0735 hours: East Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

At the foot of the steps that led up the East Gate, a shimmering portal opened up, and then another stacked below it, and another. “No! What is she doing?!”

Keith tugged at her hand urgently. “Allura! What do we do? How do we stop her?”

She was supposed to be the expert in alchemy; she was even granted titles of honor by the White Lion, the Guardian of Oriande himself. But she felt miserable. She knew nothing. _Perhaps, I am not as worthy as the White Lion thought I was. Perhaps, I am not enough well-trained to take on Honerva. She has, after all, been practicing alchemy for ten thousand decaphoeebs._

The tremendous energy was still passing through Honerva. She flickered between the beautiful young scientist she once had been, the vicious sorceress and her present form as if the Quintessence was forcing her to figure out which one of those alter egos she really was.

The portals fused into one enormous unit. Something like dirty-red colored wood smoke spiraled up lazily and soon flooded the place in an unearthly aura. 

“Wha—what is going on?” Lance stammered. “Whoa! Are those...people down there?”

It was then that the gravity of the entire situation settled in. Allura suddenly realized what the vapor and the series of events rapidly passing in the portal meant. _A couple getting married, a mother rocking her baby to sleep, students seated in a class, a funeral taking place surrounded by the bereaved family...are we—?_

Pidge put her thoughts into words. “According to my readings, we're seeing into other realities. There must be some kind of rip in the fabric of time. The essence of realities is leaking out.”

_We are too late._ “Honerva is tearing apart time lines. She could cause irreparable damage to reality itself.”

“Then, there is only one thing that can be done. We have to close the rift immediately. Form...woah—what is that?!”

Honerva dropped to the ground. The heavy vapor of the essence of realities died down to a continually escaping trickle.

_How could I have been so blind? The White Lion had warned me. He had showed me the visions from Honerva’s mind and mentioned them as the ones she believed could set right._

The unit melted away to reveal the one mecha with the familiar orange and indigo colors. The one Allura had never wanted to see again.

_All her visions had been about Lotor. She had wanted to bring back Lotor. Or, more accurately his transreality travelling ships. Her Mid-Equinox ritual had been for this cause. I am pathetic. I should have guessed this even before entering this place._

“It’s the Sincline. Impossible!”

**0738 hours: East Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

Even from the distance, Allura could see the triumphant sneer on the witch’s face. “This was Honerva’s plan all along. But...I—I”

With the Sincline in her hands, the witch would become unstoppable. She would most certainly destroy them and conquer all the parts of the Universe the Galra Empire had lost to the Voltron Coalition.

Lance, Hunk and Pidge were panicking and yelling for the next course of action.

“Does this mean Lotor is still alive?!” _Lance._

“That is impossible. There is no way he could have survived in concentrated Quintessence for three years.” _Pidge._

“Is Honerva able to remotely control it somehow?” _Hunk._

“Keith, what do we do?!” _Lance._

But Allura could see Keith was as terrified as her. Of course, he dreaded an unwanted rematch between Voltron and Sincline. Acxa was curiously silent. 

Allura tried to pull herself together. _There has to be a solution to this. There are people fighting in this war for our sake. They believe in us. We cannot afford to lose._ Unfortunately, she was at her wits’ end. 

Finaally, and unexpectedly, it was Zarkon who came to their rescue.

“Alfor, you and I will accompany the Princess to fight Honerva. Blaytz, Trigel and Gyrgan, cover us in case she sends in her Robeasts. The Paladins of new,” he turned to Keith. “You will have to form Voltron and hold off Lotor.”

Keith was incredulous. “You are going to fight your wife?”

Zarkon drew a heavy breath. “Given a choice between fighting Honerva or Lotor, I am forced to choose my wife. I have never been a good father to my one and only son. However, I loved my wife to the extent of going to the extremes of the Universe to save her. Even after she got a second chance at life, she has done nothing but bring destruction to everyone. I know neither am I pardonable but...I don’t regret this fight.”

Allura didn’t trust the guy, but Coran had already corroborated what he said. It was his undying but absolutely foolish love for his obsessed wife that compelled him to venture into the Quintessence field and betray his former friends and allies. 

Obviously, Keith came to the same conclusion. “Right then. Allura, I will drop you at the East Gate. Paladins of new, we need to take on Sincline for a second time. FORM VOLTRON!”

**0739 hours: Western hills of Oriande**

Acxa was stunned into silence at the reemergence of Sincline.

She remembered Krolia’s words: _Yes, Lotor is dead and Voltron left him in the Quintessence field. But what of the Sincline ships he built? They are indestructible because they are made from the same material as Voltron. That surely means that the Sincline ships are still in the Quintessence field and can fall into wrong hands at any time._

It was Acxa who had promised Kolivan that there was no way Sincline could be pulled out from the Quintessence Field by anyone but Voltron. She realized how grossly she had underestimated the witch. _I should have listened to Krolia._ _She was right. Sincline is indeed the greatest threat to Voltron._

Two ticks into the battle, and it seemed almost like the robot had become hundred times more powerful than when it was designed. _Could it be that the ships exploited the Quintessence Field continuously for the three decaphoeebs they were trapped in there?_ Lotor’s mecha didn’t even need to draw its sword to kick Voltron out of the Temple and into one of the surrounding hills.

“What’s up with this thing?” Keith gasped, already out of breath. “Was it this powerful when we fought— Acxa! Watch your footing!”

Voltron crashed heavily into a rock, smashing it into smithereens. Acxa almost lost her consciousness from the impact. From the groans and curses of the other Paladins, they seemed to be in the same condition as her. “I—I am sorry, guys. I think I am still adjusting to Blue.”

“It isn’t your fault, Acxa,” Hunk consoled her. “Keith is right—”

“Guys!” Pidge cut in. “We got incoming at our nine. I detect two Robeasts.”

“Oh, man! These guys will never give us a break.”

**0741 hours: Western hills of Oriande**

Voltron had just risen to its two feet when they got caught in crossfire from two directions. One of the Robeasts started shooting at them with both its gauntlet blasters while the other fired an intense laser beam from its chest aperture. Pidge barely managed to hold out with Green’s shield. 

“Lance! Be ready with the Sword. Once the Robeast on our three stops firing, we must stab it in the chest.”

Lance sounded skeptical. “And you think the other one will wait around while we do that?”

“You have a better idea?!”

A portal rose up in the Blue Lion, blinking as if she was trying to tell Acxa something. _What am I supposed to do? What are you trying to tell me?_ The Blue Bayard materialized in her hands. _The shape of the Bayard looks like it is to be plugged into the Blue Lion’s portal?_ “Uh, Keith? My Lion is—”

Hunk broke in, excitedly. “Mine too!”

“Do it!”

By sheer intuition, Acxa twisted her Bayard into the portal and pushed forward the controls. A sketch showing the new weapon pinged on the console. _Missile turrets on Blue and Yellow Lions!_

Keith maneuvered them out of the way and launched the missile capsules just before the aperture on the Robeast closed. Four of them must have found the mark for the creature stilled for a tick and exploded in a torrent of purple light.

“Thanks, guys.” Keith was exultant. “Now for the other Robeast. Lance, form Sword!”

Their calculations were off. They had forgotten about the Sincline which was silently waiting for the opportune time. As soon as they turned their full attention on the attacking Robeast, it leapt at them with two swords in each hand.

Keith shouted his orders. “Pidge, shield!”

It was too late. The swords sank into the Blue Lion. Instantly, she felt her life force draining. She heard Keith’s distant voice screaming at Hunk to use the reverse thrusters and get them out of the way.

And then, everything blacked out.

**0806 hours: Western hills of Oriande**

“Acxa!” Keith called again. _How did I not notice the Sincline right at my six?_ “Acxa, come in. Do you copy?”

There was no answer. The Blue Lion was off and her Paladin was not responding. _Don’t panic, Keith. She is gonna be alright. She might have passed out from the strike of the sword. She will wake up within a few seconds._

Moreover, there were more urgent issues to be dealt with right now. Namely, the fact that Voltron was limping on one leg now, had its two swords crossed against Sinclines’ and the Robeast was ready with its own scythes to attack from behind and sap out their Quintessence.

There was no way he could withdraw the swords without risking Sinclines’ swords sinking into the heart of Voltron. And, if they didn’t do so, they couldn’t shield themselves from their Quintessence getting sapped by the Robeast. _Either way we are gonna die, eh?_

The train wreck of his thoughts blotted out the conversation the other Paladins were having.

“Why did the Sincline attack only the Blue Lion?” _Hunk._

“As if we are not being attacked now. Come on, dude. Just because Pidge and I are struggling here doesn’t mean you can chill in your Lion.” _Lance._

“What? No, no. I am just wondering if Lotor is alive in there.” _Hunk._

“Hunk, that’s impossible.” _Pidge._

“What if Lotor is in there? What if he thinks Allura is still in Blue? What if that is the reason he attacked Blue? Because he wants revenge!” _Hunk._

His battle instincts were already so far overloaded that he could make no sense of their conversation. On a calm summer day in the future, he would probably wonder how the heck he calculated the trajectory of the weapons swinging at him, the angle at which he had to maneuver Voltron out of the way and the distance they could cover with only one working leg in a split second.

But, he knew what was to be done and he took his chance.

With the kind of speed the Robeast had built up, it couldn’t stop itself even if it realized that it was going to slash its sickles into Sincline. Apparently, neither could it pull away.

Purple aura swirled up from the ships into the scythes just like Keith had seen on planet Sanook. He was gratified to see Sincline brought down to its knees. Soon enough, the power went off.

“Lance, the sword. Now!”

Lance immediately understood what he meant. Just as the Robeast opened its chest aperture to shoot out whatever energy it had absorbed, the sword was thrust into it.

Keith clenched his fingers around the anxiously chirping controls. _It is okay, Black. We can do this. We have already been in close combat with a similar creature before. The pain will last only for a short duration._ His eyes instinctively drew shut on perceiving a massive column of energy that threatened to rip through the beast and tear apart the Lions.

When he opened his eyes, the impact was over. The Robeast lay broken in a crater it had kicked up with the explosion. His Lion had completely shut down. “Team, report in. Is everyone okay?”

“Lance here. I am fine. Surprisingly, so is my Lion.”

“Pidge checking in. Yeah, so is Green. I think Keith took on the maximum impact. Keith, are you okay?”

“Hunk here. Yellow is good too. Hey, but what happened to Acxa? And what about the Sincline?”

“I’m fine. But my Lion is busted.” Keith pried open the escape hatch. “I am gonna jetpack over to Blue and check on her. The three of you fly over to the East Gate and hold off incoming Robeasts, if any. As soon as Black comes online, I will join you guys.”

“Copy that.”

_And what about the Sincline?_ Keith should have heeded Hunk’s repeated warnings about the transreality ships. But at that moment, he was so worried about Acxa that he could process nothing else. 

**0828 hours: Western hills of Oriande**

Never in her wildest dreams had Acxa imagined that she would have to fight her old boss. She left his side, yes, but she certainly didn’t want to fight him or worse, kill him. Yet, when she saw him standing over the motionless body of her lover, a scimitar poised to slash his head, she didn’t think twice before hurling her blade at him.

Worst of all, she had no idea what was going on around her. The last thing she could remember was the Sincline striking her Lion down with its swords. Blue had flickered twice before powering off. _Did I pass out as well?_

She must have, for she hadn’t witnessed the destruction strewn all around her. _The debris of the two Robeasts. How did Keith manage to take the beast down with only one working leg?_

But that was not all. The Black Lion was lying some distance away. Its eyes were devoid of any light. She guessed Keith must have taken the brunt of the entire fight that transpired. The other three Lions were nowhere to be seen.

The Sincline mecha lay on its side, its head blown off as though someone had blasted it open from inside. Now standing atop the Blue Lion, she knew how. _Lotor! He is alive?!_

The man in question had his back to her when she threw her knife at his head. He had been so intent in killing Keith that he heard neither her opening the escape hatch on Blue nor her climbing up on her Lion to get a better view. But Acxa spotted him. And she had to wince at what he had been reduced to.

His cascade of silky white hair was no longer. It hung in greasy clumps fused with what looked like strips of metal from the ship. When he turned around to check for the culprit, she tried her best not to shriek out of horror. His once beautiful face was now a web of bulging veins and capillaries. His eyebrows and thick eyelashes were charred and his lips pulled into a permanent sneer. His empty eye sockets possessed only a hollow purplish sclera. _Is this transformation because of the Quintessence? But he is alive? How?!_

He bared his teeth. “Ah, look who is here? My most _trusted_ general?”

**0830 hours: Western hills of Oriande**

She jetpacked down from her Lion for the standoff she had encountered only in her nightmares.

“Or, should I say my most trusted general who betrayed me when push came to shove?”

Acxa couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “You misunderstand, Lotor. I didn’t betray you. _You_ betrayed us. You betrayed all of us. You went back on all your promises to us.”

His grin stayed on his face, turning crueler with the passing tick. “And what? You got a new leader in him?” He nudged Keith’s chest with his foot. Keith groaned slightly but didn’t open his eyes. “Look at you! A Paladin of Voltron! Oh, but tell me, Acxa. What kind of promises did your new leader make to you?”

“Don’t you dare touch him!” she seethed. “When you had sent me off to my doom in the useless quest to collect scaultrite, it was Keith who saved me in spite of my Galra lineage. You said the Paladins of Voltron were brought together by the Princess to get rid of the Galra. It was a lie. You lied to us.”

She summoned her Bayard to her hand. “Keith is a man of his word. And you are not a man worthy of my worship. I realized it too late.”

“Wow, you have become really eloquent with your words, Acxa. I am proud of you.” Lotor lifted the scimitar from Keith’s throat. It changed into a long staff to match hers. With a start, Acxa realized the scimitar was not Lotor’s. _It is the Black Bayard. The future vision from the Quantum Abyss...It was Lotor?_

“Unfortunately, I don’t wish to sit around to listen you sing your new leader’s praises. I am going to get rid of all my enemies. Starting with you!”

He spun his staff above his head, master of all trades that he was, and rushed at her.

**0835 hours: Western hills of Oriande**

Acxa knew it was a matter of time before she got killed. She was no good at staff fighting. Or, at least, nowhere as good as Lotor. _All I can do is not let Lotor get anywhere near Keith till he regains his consciousness._

Lotor wasn’t joking when he said he was going to get rid of her. Every blow he landed on her was meant to hit her vital points that she narrowly managed to dodge or deflect aside with her weapon. Plus, there was her inner conscience which kept oscillating. He had taken care of her for decaphoeebs and for that, she was ever grateful to him. She just couldn’t bring herself to inflict a deadly strike at him.

She was fast tiring whereas Lotor looked like he wasn’t even trying hard. _Is he doped on Quintessence?_ Every time he tightened his hold on his weapon, a purple current passed through his veins.

Finally, Lotor knocked off her helmet and her weapon out of her hands and herself to the ground. “Where is your puny leader now in whom you placed so much trust?” His staff morphed back into the wickedly sharp scimitar. “I saved you, I nurtured you and this is how you repay my kindness? By abandoning me for him in the middle of the battle?” 

“You are mistaken, Lotor.” Her blade was lying a few feet away. Her Bayard was lying even further. _Keep him talking. Buy me some time while I try to summon the blade._ “I didn’t abandon you for anyone. I was trying to save you.”

“Save me?” he scoffed and pressed his scimitar to her throat. “Pray tell me how? You run off with two of the ships and leave me alone to face the crossfire. How is this to be called ‘saving’ in any reality?”

_Thank the ancients, even the Quintessence field couldn’t change his talkative nature._ Acxa ignored the sword digging at her throat and concentrate on pulling her blade to her hand. Nothing happened. Krolia’s voice echoed in her mind: _Either you cannot use it when you need it the most or you die at the hands of that weapon._

Acxa released a defeated sigh. _So, my blade will be useless to me until the likes of Honerva and Lotor are gone? Only then, the blood promise will be fulfilled? I quiznacking hate my life!_

“I was saving you from yourself, Prince Lotor,” she continued, trying to keep up with her life-or-death conversation and focusing on her Bayard. _Blue Bayard, please come to me!_ “Your greed for power changed you into a man very different from what I had trusted and admired once.”

His hollow eyes were burning in rage. “No, I haven’t changed. Allura and you...at the end, both of you abandoned me.”

“I stayed by your side even after you killed Narti. I imagined there must be some reason other than we are just disposable pawns for you. You proved me wrong.”

He closed his eyes and raised his scimitar for the final strike. “You know nothing of what you speak.” 

Her Bayard immediately materialized in her hands, stopping his weapon inches away from her throat.

“What about Kova, Lotor?” she gasped, straining against Lotor’s Quintessence charged super strength. “He was your friend for ten thousand decaphoeebs. He never left your side, come what may. But you abandoned him to his doom as well. Why?”

He didn’t reply. He simply sank his sword deep into her, into her guts, below her ribs. 

**0849 hours: Western hills of Oriande**

_I am dead,_ Keith thought. _I am in heaven. Oh, look, there are twinkling pink and purple mountains everywhere._

He slowly pulled himself up onto his knees. _If I am in heaven, why does my head pain so much? Did I die of a head injury?_

Half a klick away, he noticed a guy lifting a familiar blue skinned girl by her scruff like a kitten. As he watched, the man hurled her onto a nearby rock. She crashed against it with a bloodcurdling scream and a chilling crunch of broken bones. _What the ruggle just happened? Where am I? Who is the man who just killed a girl in cold blood? Is this the way heaven is meant to be?_

He pressed his hands to his head. A cold feeling tingled at the bottom of his skull. It kept insisting to go and check on her. _Keith, you know her. Remember!_

The guy was trudging towards him, a chain sword trailing behind him. Something told Keith that the weapon belonged to him. _I have a Lion? Black Lion? Blue Lion? Paladin...I am Black Paladin? Black Bayard?_

All of a sudden, everything came back to him. _I am Keith. I am not dead. I am the Paladin of the Black Lion. The guy in front of me...is Lotor! That means...the blue skinned girl is—_

He fisted at the soil, bracing himself for the moment of truth. _Please, no! It shouldn’t be her. Please!_

A trail of blood meandered down the rock as she slowly sank down to the ground. _Acxa?_

For a moment, all he could feel was numbness. His brain refused to accept the glaring fact. _No, it isn’t her. It is not her!_

When the chain sword retracted into itself in Lotor’s hand, an evil sneer on his face, his numbness gave way to anger. _Lotor killed her?!_

His blood started to boil like it was made of hot magma. A ribbon of his flesh seared up its way from his heart, along his neck till his cheek. _I should not have gone easy on you, Lotor. This is all my fault._

And then, his rage exploded. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! So, Keith got a new Galra marking! 
> 
> By the way, did you guys like this chapter? I really enjoyed writing this...I had been waiting from forever to write this, so, phew! Wow, I can't believe I didn't abandon it half way as I usually tend to do. *pats self* :)


	18. The Fall of Oriande, Part - III: Blood Duel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I got a bit busy over the week and couldn't write this chapter as fast as I usually do. Anyways, I do hope you enjoy this chapter! 
> 
> Oh, and a side note: As I have already mentioned a lot of times, I am not really good at writing fight scenes (and this is full of them), so please go easy on me in the comments if you don't like it... :p
> 
> And, full kudos to Guyvantic_Guyver for perfectly describing the Keith-Lotor fight before I even started to write this chapter! 
> 
> Happy reading!

**DAY 255 (DAY OF MID-EQUINOX)**

**0739 hours: East Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

“So, the wayward daughter of Altea is finally here.”

Allura itched to swing her staff at the witch and fling her into a reality from where she might never return. But she stopped herself. Honerva had performed a powerful Mid-Equinox ritual and pulled out the Sincline ships trapped in the Quintessence field. _There must be more to this than what meets the eye. She has drawn out the trans-reality traveling ships only to repel Voltron? No, she definitely has some other ulterior motive I have to know before I slay her._

“Don’t you dare mention Altea to me,” she seethed. “You destroyed Altea, you monster!”

Honerva didn’t show any signs of guilt on her face. “You are wrong, Allura. Why would I destroy my own homeland, the planet which bears my origin? It was Zarkon who destroyed Altea to revenge his planet’s death.”

Allura was shocked. _Is she trying to wipe her hands clean of all her crimes?_ “You cannot claim innocence for all the destruction you have caused over the centuries!”

Her lips slowly parted into a manic grin. “I am surprised you are siding with the Galra in this war. With the very people who slaughtered the Alteans, our people?! Unbelievable! It was I who protected our people for the past four decaphoeebs. And now, it is time for us to get revenge for the innocent Alteans who perished due to the greed of the Galra.”

She hesitated, albeit for a tick too long. _Why am I working with the Galra? They have been terrorizing galaxies across the Universe for ten thousand decaphoeebs. They destroyed my planet, my family and forced those who remained into hiding where they were preyed upon by Lotor._

Perhaps on sensing her hesitation, Honerva continued, “I am offering you a chance to set things right. Join me and let the Paladins perish. Two of them are of Galra lineage, anyways. They cannot be trusted. Once Voltron is eliminated, we can create the strongest Altean Empire in this or any reality. Along with Lotor, we can spread peace throughout the Universe.”

But then, Allura remembered the truth that had dawned upon her while she was rescuing the White Lion from Honerva’s mind. _The Galra are as much the victims of the war as the Alteans were. They were forced to fight against their once trusted friends and allies due to the obsession of their Emperor. And his wife, who assumed the alter ego as the High Priestess Haggar. Blaming an entire civilization for the crimes committed by two individuals was wrong._

Honerva must not be allowed to claim innocence for all the crimes her alter ego had committed. Even after she got back her real self from Oriande, she had done nothing but use the Alteans as the power source for her Robeasts. _She cannot, and must not be pardoned._

Allura took a decisive breath and planted her staff on the ground. “It is easier to restore peace to the Universe by killing _you_.”

The sorceress shrugged nonchalantly as if she had expected the answer from her. “Think about your father. I knew Alfor well. I am sure if he were here, he would accept my offer. Don’t make the mistake of making me your enemy. You are only an alchemist like Alfor; you are no warrior. And just like your father, you are powerless to kill anyone, least of all me.”

“That is why Alfor used to keep me around, Honerva.”

**0740 hours: IGF Atlas, Patrulian Zone**

“Ionic discharger at 43 percent.”

Commander Holt snapped back to the battle raging around him. On one hand, he was still reeling from amazement from his ship’s transformation. The massive ship he had built got reassembled into an even more massive robot with the help of Allura’s alchemic abilities. _Or, did the spirit of the White Lion of Oriande force this transformation?_ He didn’t know. The realm of alchemy and magic was beyond the comprehension of his scientific mind.

On the other, his primary concerns were about Katie and Matt. They were risking their lives for the good of the Universe. He was proud of them as the Chief Commander of the Galaxy Garrison, but as their father, he was scared for them. They had enveloped him and Colleen in a bear hug before leaving for their respective missions. Sam Holt prayed it must not be the last time he hugged his kids. 

Veronica recited her numbers again. “Thirty-six.”

Sam quickly checked the console. The Robeasts compensated for their small size with sharp maneuvers whereas the Atlas was as slow as it was heavy. “We're not going to make it through their blockade.”

She looked back at him from her seat at the comm. “What's the plan?”

Sam contemplated his options. _There are not many._ Especially, when they were isolated from the rest of the Coalition Forces by the Robeast blockade. “Scramble the MFEs. We need their precise striking ability,” he advised. “Pilots, aim at the weak spot on their chest plate when their cannon fires.”

Their reply was spontaneous. “Copy.”

Within another two seconds, the MFEs had launched. Sam wanted the MFEs to stay as low as possible until the last instant and strike so that the creature would not get the chance to retaliate. Unfortunately, that was not to be.

One of the attacking beasts noticed Nadia’s ship as soon as it launched and fired at her. “I'm hit!” she cried. “Repeat, I'm hit! Recovering all systems.”

Coran immediately recognized the sliver of opportunity. “The Robeast has its chest aperture open. Perfect time to strike!”

“Copy that!” Sam shouted his orders to the young cadets. “Kinkade, get Rizavi back to the Atlas safely. Griffin and Leifsdottir, use this opportunity to hone in on the Robeast's crystal.”

“On it.”

As Kinkade lugged an injured Rizavi back to Atlas, the other two MFEs flew directly into the crossfire. The aperture was just inches from closing fully. The Atlas crew waited with bated breath as they listened to Griffin’s countdown. “Three. Two. One. Now!”

The two MFEs shot a volley of missiles into the open chest plate and steered away. The creature stilled for a moment before exploding in a cloud of purple energy. Everyone erupted in cheers of triumph.

“Outstanding,” Sam murmured. But he knew the battle was not over yet. This was not the time to become complacent over downing one hostile. _One down, and... countless more to go._

**0743 hours: East Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

The spirits of Zarkon and Alfor shimmered and solidified on her either side. The witch was visibly shocked by her estranged husband’s manifestation. “Husband! What are you doing here?”

“Honerva.” Zarkon sighed so wistfully that Allura felt sorry for him. _Allura, he is the same man who oppressed beings across the Universe for decaphoeebs. You should feel sorry for neither of them._ “For eons, I—I have been on your side. I entertained each and every of your wishes. When Alfor advised me to close the inter-reality rift, you protested and I listened to you. I was wrong. Look at us now; the two of us have caused nothing but destruction in the entire known universe.”

“No, not me. _You._ You destroyed Altea. You betrayed your allies and friends due to your greed for Quintessence. After I came to Oriande, I remembered my past as the top Altean alchemist I had once been before committing the biggest mistake of my life– marrying you. I vow to cleanse my tainted past and return the Universe to how it was before the Galra scourge.”

He sighed again and closed his eyes in resignation. Honerva was unfazed. “Alfor, the time has finally come for the much awaited revenge our people deserve. It would be wise for you and your daughter to join me in this war. We will crush the Galra and wipe them out of existence as they did to us, had my son not saved the few survivors.”

Zarkon turned his golden eyes onto Allura. “Princess, what is your answer?”

Allura thought of all her friends who were risking their lives in this war. _Keith. Lance. Hunk. Pidge. All those who sacrificed their lives for us. All those who are fighting outside Oriande._

She squared her shoulders for the inevitable showdown. “The kind of restoration she offers is not acceptable to me. What about you, Father?”

King Alfor pulled out his Altean broadsword, one that Allura had not seen in many centuries. “It is time to end this.”

“Fools!” Honerva pulled her hood over her head. “Now, I have no choice but to send you to your doom.”

With that, she disappeared into thin air. 

**0818 hours: Western Hills of Oriande**

Keith jumped down from the escape hatch of the Black Lion, half-racing, half-jetpacking to where the Blue Lion lay on its side. “Acxa, please respond! Are you okay?” No answer.

The whole thing felt like déjà vu to him, the day he had run to the Black Lion after their battle with Zarkon and found that Shiro was gone, leaving nothing but his Bayard behind. _Acxa is gonna be alright. She is hit by the Sincline’s swords. Probably, only passed out._

He landed in front of the Blue Lion and placed his palm on her sealed mouth. _Blue, open up. I need to check on your Paladin._ From the dead eyes of the Lion and the deep scratches on her sides, Keith guessed she was not going to wake up any time soon.

He was contemplating the thrust he would need to propel himself to the top of the Lion, when he heard a soft rustle behind him.

He slowly turned around. _Perhaps, Black?_ It was not. The noise had emanated from the head of the Sincline. _Is the Sincline coming online so fast?_ A tiny voice from somewhere deep in his mind squeaked, _What if it is...Lotor?_

He tried to laugh off his stupid instincts. There was no way Lotor could be alive after being trapped in the Quintessence Field for more than three years. Even Pidge, who usually cross verified all hypotheses, had claimed this to be impossible. But then, Hunk’s words echoed in his mind: _What if Lotor is in there? What if he thinks Allura is still in Blue? What if that is the reason he attacked Blue? Because he wants revenge!_

Keith realized they had all grossly underestimated a guy who had been around for ten thousand decaphoeebs, for whom surviving for so long on nothing but Quintessence was probably a breeze as he watched the head of the Sincline blown off with a powerful blast and the man in question jumped down, a sword in hand. 

Lotor’s lips upturned in a gruesome sneer. “The indisputable Paladin of the Black Lion, I suppose?”

**0822 hours: Western Hills of Oriande**

Keith was too stunned to react. It was one thing to see Lotor in flesh and blood but completely another thing to look at the effect of overexposure of Quintessence on him. _The bulging mesh of veins on his face, the hollow eye sockets with a faint glow of purple..._ he could neither avert his eyes nor watch his face any longer.

Above all, he felt a pang of guilt for the horrifying state Lotor had been reduced to. He had never wanted to leave him behind in the Field. When Pidge insisted that staying there even a tick longer would tear apart Voltron, he had no choice but to go ahead with the decision. He even convinced Allura that Lotor had made his choice. _I was wrong. I should have found some other way instead of abandoning someone to such a cruel fate._

However, Lotor didn’t deter. He charged at Keith with his sword aimed at his throat. Luckily for him, his adrenaline or battle nerves acted faster than his brain. The Black Bayard appeared in his hand, blocking the sword an inch away from his throat.

His sadistic sneer looked almost pasted on his face. “You and that wretched princess of yours. Both of you are going to die at my hands!” 

Keith was scared to swallow his saliva, even to release his breath he had been holding in. The crossed swords were too close to his throat. Lotor pressed it in further. With the last bit of his residual strength, he pushed him away and slipped out before he could attack again.

They battled back and forth for a while, thrusting, parrying, and dodging. Too late, Keith realized that he was no match to Lotor. His fighting was inhuman. The guy was definitely drawing his power from the Quintessence coursing through his veins. _Keith, think! What do we gonna do? He isn’t stopping until I am dead._

Only a few seconds must have passed, but he was already on the ground, trying to catch his breath. Lotor sniffed in ridicule. “Tired so fast? Not something I would expect from a Paladin of Voltron. From the Black Paladin, no less.” 

He spun his sword and charged at him again. _Wait for him. Don’t hasten and lose your one chance._ As soon as Lotor had gathered his full momentum and brought down his sword on him, he narrowly dodged his head, bent backwards and leaped away. “Ha, you have some skills, I can grant you that. But it is not going to last forever.”

_Not forever, just long enough to break your sword._ Thanks to his training with his Mom and the Blades, the plan actually worked. Lotor had lost his momentum. When their swords clanged against each other now, he felt like he was fighting an opponent on the same level as himself. Lotor had obviously miscalculated. Maybe, he didn’t know that his weapon was not limited to one form. Or, maybe, he forgot. Keith didn’t wait to find out which was right.

He willed his Bayard to transform into a whip blade. It immediately wrapped around Lotor’s sword. With a flick of his wrist, he twisted and snapped it right off the hilt. 

Lotor let out a bellow of fury on realizing that he had been tricked. He tossed away his broken sword and grabbed Keith by his throat.

The last of what he could remember was pieces of his helmet, blood and shards of glittering rock all around him. He sensed his Bayard being snatched away from his hand.

And then, he passed out.

**0826 hours: East gate, Temple of Alchemists**

Lance had to grudgingly appreciate the ingenuity of their team leader, Keith. Even with one unresponsive leg, he managed to take down two monstrous beasts, one of which was made of the same indestructible material as Voltron and highly doped on Quintessence. _I can never become the leader Keith is._ Strangely, he didn’t covet the position as he usually did or feel jealous of him. He felt safe with Keith in the Black Lion.

He pushed forward the thrusters. _The three of you fly over to the East Gate and hold off incoming Robeasts, if any._ His underlying meaning was clear. Voltron was heavily outnumbered. Unless Allura defeated, or better killed off, Honerva, there was no way they could tackle so many hostiles at a time. All they could do was split up and thin their attackers.

The sight at the East Gate was overwhelming. The Paladins of Old were three to two against the Robeasts, Trigel and Gyrgan with their spears and Blaytz shooting infinite arrows from his bow. Further inside, near the teludav posts, Allura was struggling in a maze of Haggar’s clones. How many ever times she took down one, another would instantly appear in its place. _Which is the real Honerva?_

“Are you done with the trans-reality ship?” Trigel asked, not taking her eyes off the Robeast she had crossed her spear with. “Where are the other two Lions?”

“The Sincline? It is down for now, but it will recover its power soon. We don’t have much time.”

Trigel extended her spear into a large mace and struck at its chest. It fell back against the rock behind. Her weapon elongated, this time into a javelin. She propelled herself to land perfectly beside the Green Lion. “Where are the other two Lions?” she asked again. “Without Voltron, we cannot destroy this creature.” 

Out of nowhere, Blaytz and Gyrgan dropped onto the platform on which the Lions were perched. 

“The Blue Lion lost power after it was hit by Sincline’s weapons,” Lance explained. “Same for the Black Lion. Keith said he will join us as soon as Black comes online. Blaytz, perhaps you can check on Blue?”

“On it.” His spirit vanished in a tinge of blue.

“Pidge and Trigel, Hunk and Gyrgan, you guys would have to keep these creatures at bay till further help arrives.”

“I have to fight a Robeast all—all by myself?” Hunk stammered. “How am I to do this? The laser is useless against it, and we don’t even have the sword! With the jaw blade?!”

“Lance, what about you? What are you gonna do?”

Lance ignored Hunk’s question. _Gyrgan will help you, Hunk._ “I’m gonna fly over to help Allura.”

**0833 hours: East Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

The one time Shiro was surrounded by a flock of cackling witches, Allura had correctly figured out which the real one was and asked Hunk to shoot in that direction. Today, she was not so lucky.

Next to her, Zarkon was struggling against thousands of inky claws crawling over his body. His legs and left hand were already gone. With the Black Bayard in his right, he sliced off as many of the snaky creatures as he could, but there seemed to be no end to them.

“Princess?” he shouted. “Do you know of a way?” _To defeat the witch?_ Unfortunately, she didn’t.

Presently, the shadows, the ghostly claws and Haggar’s clones dancing around her, everything vanished. She found herself kneeling on the ground in the midst of an eerie silence. _What just happened? Where is my father?_ King Alfor was nowhere to be seen, probably also having been engulfed by the darkness.

Slimy lashes clawed their way up from the ground to pin her down. Honerva materialized before her, a purplish black sphere in her palm. “Now, Princess,” she smirked. “The time has come for you to pay for your foolish defiance.”

Her brain clambered up and down for ideas. _No, I cannot die like this! There has to be a way to end this madness. How?_ Her eyes instinctively slipped shut as they perceived the lightning crackling towards her.

Suddenly, a lion roared to her right and blasted a fiery path between Honerva and herself. The ghostly clamps around her hands and feet disappeared just as the sorceress stumbled backwards. _The Red Lion?!_

Before Allura could react, Honerva pointed her two fingers upwards. A funnel of dark vapors started to drain the Quintessence from the Red Lion. “Lance! No!”

“A little distraction from your favorite Paladin, I suppose?” Honerva doused the fire in between them with the snap of her fingers. “It is only a minor delay before your inevitable death.” The Red Lion thudded lifelessly at the steps of the Temple. “You cannot stop me, Princess Allura. I am the greatest alchemist in this or any other reality.”

As Honerva’s lightning arched towards her, she thought of deflecting it away with her spear. But Allura quickly realized it was futile. _I will only get locked in an infinite battle with her. Eventually, she will drain my life force as well. Or...?_ A sudden idea occurred to her. _The way I took in all the dark energy from the White Lion and purified his spirit. Perhaps, I can use the same technique on her and...extract her ability to perform alchemy itself._

“No.” Allura rose to her feet. “I am.”

**0845 hours: East Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

When the lightning struck her, it didn’t harm her as she had expected. It simply formed a pinkish purple aura around her. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the spirits of the Sages, speaking to her in her mind. Guiding her. _Hail the Lion Goddess, the Saviour of Oriande!_

Again, as she had expected from the conceited sorceress, Honerva blasted her lightning bolts one after the other at her, each one more powerful than the previous. Wave after wave of the dark energy merged into the growing bubble around Allura.

“Impossible!” Her eyes widened in shock. “You are weakening my alchemic power?”

“I am bringing an end to all the horrors you have committed using the abilities granted to you. Instead of using it for bettering the Universe, you brought about only oppression and misery.”

“You...how are you? How do you have this kind of power? Only the Sages of Oriande can—” she gasped, clutching her sides. “I already reduced them to rubble.”

“You are mistaken, Honerva.” Allura pulled out what remained of the dark entities within her she so boasted of. She then proceeded to convert the destructive force within her vessel to its original form of constructive, life giving force. “You have only destroyed the statues. The spirit of the Sages is engraved in this place. In _me._ ”

Finally, the sorceress, who went by the title of High Priestess Haggar, sank down to the floor. Her fingers shivered idly having lost their magic.

**0850 hours: Western Hills of Oriande**

_I should have listened to Mom. I should have listened to Mom! If it had been my blade, Lotor would not have been able to use it. Acxa...she would not have..._

Droplets of blood fell to the ground either from the grains of sand digging into his nails or from the reopened wound on his palm. But he felt no pain, just numbness. His human side, which always restrained him from going too brutal on the enemies, was too shocked to comprehend anything.

In the background, he heard the anguished roar of the Blue Lion. It didn’t take long for Lotor to shoot her down with his large energy cannon. One more smash with the mace, and the Blue Lion didn’t respond again.

Curiously, Lotor didn’t attack him or kill him off in cold blood as he could have done. It almost seemed like he was watching, waiting for him... _enjoying._

Keith slowly rose to his feet. His Galra side was taking over the reins from his battle useless human side. For his Galra genes, there was no need to hold back or negotiate on anything. _Blood for blood._ It was that simple.

Lotor raised a brow at his fast recovery. But he didn’t wait any longer. In his hand, the Black Bayard transformed into his energy cannon.

His battle nerves were completely in control. His sight and hearing had become keener, his limbs more agile and quick. That is why, even though his blood was raging inside, he realized it would be foolish to go barehanded against a man with a rapidly transforming weapon. _I need a weapon. Any weapon._ He thought of picking up the broken blade of Lotor’s sword and sticking it into his gauntlet.

Keith pulled up his shield. His brain was already five steps ahead, making urgent fight-or-flight plans. _I cannot go up against him if he continues to use his blaster. The shield will fracture soon._ As if on cue, it did.

He rolled over to hide behind a small boulder which Lotor blew up with a single blast. _I need to lure him in closer. Then I can stab him in the throat._ His throat was the only placed unarmored and unaffected by Quintessence. _Even then, I need something sharp._

He held up his shield, bracing for yet another blast when something caught his eyes. _A shiny piece of rock? If it is shiny, it might be sharp?_ He picked it up as he rolled over to the next point of cover.

When he opened his palm, he didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. It was Acxa’s blade.

**0857 hours: Western Hills of Oriande**

Keith dashed across the perimeter, dodging every blast to the largest boulder he found in the vicinity. _Now, Lotor has to come in close and use the sword to stab me._ Lotor fired ceaselessly at him but the rock held firm. Keith watched as the Bayard returned to its scimitar form in his hands. He palmed the knife. _Come at me, you mutt._

His plan worked out fine, but only to that extent. When Lotor charged in, he couldn’t sidestep as quickly as he thought he could. Or, Lotor was too good. Raw blood gushed out as the sword slipped in between his ribs. Lotor twisted his sword in deeper, gloating over his victory. The pain was so excruciating that he could feel his consciousness instantly ebb away. But he ignored it. _Now or never!_

With a guttural scream, he swung the blade and stabbed it in right in his jugular vein. Lotor grabbed his throat and staggered backwards.

Keith pulled out the scimitar from his chest. He could only hope it didn’t stab his heart. Frankly, he didn’t care. If Lotor was not effectively neutralized, he would rise again to finish him off. And in any case, Acxa was gone. _I could not keep my promise to her...but she did. With her everything, she did._

**0900 hours: East Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

The Green and Yellow Lions came for a landing near the steps of the Temple. The Red Lion was still lying on its sides, motionless.

“Lance!” Allura dashed out of the Temple. “Lance, do you copy?!”

Pidge and Hunk jetpacked their way towards her. “Princess, what just happened? We were fighting the Robeast and suddenly...they collapsed?”

Allura was not listening. _I have to get into the Red Lion. Lance may be unconscious...or worse! No. No, he is going to be fine._

It was finally Pidge’s question that snapped her back into the present. “Wait, what do we do about the rip in the reality? It is rapidly expanding!”

Allura closed her eyes, trying to rein in her helplessness and her frustration at having no other solution than the one obvious to her. _There is a way. As a matter of fact, the only way._ “Oriande must fall. And we have to pay the price for the fall of Oriande.”


	19. The Fall of Oriande, Part - IV: Realities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had thought of posting the next chapter along with this, but I didn't want to keep you all waiting. The next chapter will be a short epilogue, so you can expect a time skip. Phew, this chapter took me forever to write... basically, 6k+ words of angst. Happy reading!! :)

**DAY 255 (DAY OF MID-EQUINOX)**

**0902 hours: East Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

“Princess, what...price are you talking about?”

Of course, Pidge was the brains of the group. _It won’t surprise me if she has already figured out the worst to come._ Honerva had been effectively neutralized such that she would never be able to use her alchemy again. All that remained was to close the inter-reality rift and... “Oh, what happened to the Sincline?”

“We managed to take it down, Princess.” Hunk pulled off his helmet, gasping as if he had been suffocating underneath. “Keith asked the three of us to hold off the Robeasts and protect you. He said he will join us soon.”

Pidge, however, was persistent. “What about the rift? You were saying something about...a _price_?”

“Yes, it’s the only way I can think of. If Oriande falls in on itself, the rift might be closed successfully. For that, we have to pay a toll to the Guardian. Something equal in value to this magic realm.”

Hunk chewed on his bottom lip. “What can possibly equate the value of an entire ancient alchemic planet?” 

“Me.” Allura exhaled heavily. _My time has finally come, hasn’t it?_ “I am a Sage of Oriande. Maybe, this is the reason I was selected to be a Sage...so that I can sacrifice myself to set things right when the time comes. I don’t see any alternative than this.”

A familiar voice spoke up behind her. “Allura, what are you talking about?” _Lance?_

“Lance!” Before she could stop herself, she spun round and threw her arms around his neck. “Lance, you are okay!”

He was visibly surprised at her action. She wasn’t sure why she decided to hug him in the middle of a battle and at a time when there were more important things to be discussed, but in that tick, she could think of nothing except Lance was alright.

He didn’t hug her back. He gently disengaged her arms from around his neck. “Yes, but what were you saying? Something about sacrificing yourself?”

“Lance, I am afraid it’s the only way—”

He cut her off with a wave of his hand. “I am not allowing anything happening to you. All of us are in this together. If you are planning to sacrifice yourself, we will stay with you as well.”

**0903 hours: Western hills of Oriande**

His eyes fluttered open at the nauseating smell of blood. Keith hissed at the pain coursing through his body while trying to sit up. It was a mistake. The world started to spin around him in harsh colors of pink and purple. He leaned back against the rock and thickly swallowed back his tears and vomit. _I cannot lose my consciousness again. I have to find Lotor._

But he knew he was in no state for another duel. _I stabbed him in the jugular vein. Though I didn’t see any blood, it did injure him as far as I can remember._ Lotor had grabbed his throat and stumbled away from him. _Where did he go?_

He glanced down at the gaping wound on his chest. His armor was already splotched in crimson. Worse, thick blood was still flowing out of the wound. _This is not good. I need help. Where are the Paladins?_ He had sent them down to the East Gate, not foreseeing the events that were to unfold. His helmet was broken, so no way to contact them. His Lion was probably still busted. The Blue Lion was knocked out by Lotor. The only thing he had was his treacherous Bayard, lying at his feet.

_First things first._ He willed the Bayard to teleport into his hand in the form of a short black blade. _Here goes nothing,_ he muttered to himself as he pressed the searing blade onto his chest. 

**0904 hours: Western hills of Oriande**

Keith teetered to his feet, using his sword like an old man’s cane. His head still swam in pain but his senses had essentially cleared after he stopped the bleeding. He didn’t have time to worry about what effect the Bayard might have had upon his heart. He had more important things to do, namely finding Lotor and... Acxa.

He spotted Lotor kneeling a few feet away. Strange purple electricity crackled through his body as if he had stuck his fingers into a live current socket and got shorted. Interestingly, his skin had smoothed out; the mesh of bulging capillaries and the horrible sneer were also gone. _How? Is it because the excess Quintessence leaked out from where I stabbed him?_

Keith was not sure and he certainly didn’t want to take any chances. He trudged over to him, his sword dangling from his gloved hand. When he lashed the blade at his throat, Lotor raised a pair of defiant eyes to his. “I lost. You can finish me and get it over with.”

Self-defense was one thing, but killing someone when they were unarmed didn’t feel right to him. _This brute killed Acxa. How can you have second thoughts about killing him?_ He sighed, more from his head hurting than hesitation. “Perhaps. But it isn’t really for me to decide your fate. It should be Allura. It is her you betrayed and it is her people you used for your experiments with Quintessence.”

Lotor bent forward and planted his hands on the ground. Keith could see no blood but purple foam trickled from the gash on his throat. _Quintessence...?_ “It was a failed experiment,” he murmured. “Only infusing the trans-reality ships with Altean Quintessence could propel it through the Quintessence Field. Or, so I had studied. It was only after I met Allura, I realized my studies were incorrect.”

“Are you trying to justify your actions? Keep your excuses for Allura. I am not interested.”

Lotor scoffed bitterly. “You think you are a hero for defeating me? You are not. _You_ are the one who ruined everything. It was due to your premature intervention, the witch discovered the safe haven I had built for my people. If the Alteans got captured or killed by her, it is solely because of you. You put their lives in jeopardy more than I ever did.”

Keith could not believe what he was hearing. _He is blaming me for revealing a crime he had been committing for years?!_ “It is bold of you to think what you did isn’t a crime. You murdered countless Alteans and harvested their life force!”

“Tell me, Paladin of the Black Lion, if my intention were to instigate coldblooded mass murder, why would I preserve the remains of the Alteans? It would be easier for me to dispose off the evidence it ever happened.”

“As you had done with Romelle’s brother,” he argued. “Also, taking into account the fact that you never imagined someone might hunt down your second colony, I think you became careless in hiding your trails. That appears to be more reasonable to me.”

Keith knew his reply had hit home. Lotor was silent for one long moment, probably cooking up another pretext. Finally, he drew a deep breath and rose to his feet. “If you had not stuck your nose in my affairs, I would have explained everything to Allura in a calmer manner and taken her to the colony to meet her people. This whole battle could have been avoided. I accept it was a failed experiment. But after I met Allura, I had high hopes she might be able to reinfuse their life force.”

“You think you can smooth talk out of every crime you have committed, don’t you?”

“It is because I haven’t done anything wrong.” Lotor straightened to his full height to stare him down. “A war had to be won, a war that has been going on for the past ten thousand decaphoeebs. Do you think I can just stand by and do nothing as my father kept conquering worlds?”

Keith was not intimated. He simply folded his arms and returned his glare. “So, your idea to stop this was making your own version of Voltron,” he pointed at the Sincline. “And killing the Alteans for their life force?”

“Building Sincline was the only way to defeat my father and extract the purest possible Quintessence from the Field to resource the Galra and stop them from resorting to the barbarism of the Komar to fulfill their needs. Sincline was the only solution since King Alfor had hidden away the Lions of Voltron for centuries. If my plan were to be successful, I could have guaranteed a peaceful future to the rest of the Alteans.”

Keith was too weary to carry on the useless conversation. Come what may, Lotor was never going to accept he had done anything wrong. He would vehemently stand by his opinions. For him, Keith was undoubtedly the villain. He walked over to the edge of the cliff. The Paladins were gathered on the steps leading to the East Gate. From their agitated gestures, he guessed something serious was being discussed. Honerva was silently creeping up behind them, a spear in her hand. _What is going on?_

He flinched slightly when Lotor spoke up behind him. “I have one last request I ask of you— as a warrior to another warrior. I don’t have much time. I want honor at least in death, something I could never attain in my entire life... always suspected, always betrayed. I don’t want to die a lowly death, a death in disgrace.”

Keith shrugged indifferently. “What do you want me to do?” 

“Hand me your sword,” he replied. “I wish to put an end to this, once and for all.”

**0907 hours: East Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

Hunk and Pidge racked their brains for new ideas to close the rift, but could come up with nothing effective. The best plan Pidge suggested was to use the IGF Atlas the same way as the Castle of Lions since it possessed the Infinite Mass Crystal as its power source and might cause flashes similar to supermassive black holes when released in the rift.

Allura was hesitant. “Pidge, evacuating the ship and all its personnel is too risky when we are already running out of time. Moreover, I cannot leave Oriande without facing the Guardian. I was supposed to protect this sacred realm, and all I could do was helplessly watch destruction taking place.”

Hunk scratched his chin. “Meaning, either way, Allura has to... _stay back_? Well, how about this? We tow in the Atlas and give it to the White Lion as the price? Will that work? Like, will the crystal be equal in value to Oriande? Does it work that way?”

He did have a good point. Allura was certain the Atlas won’t be accepted as the toll, but his suggestion triggered another idea in the back of her mind. _So, to save this reality... anything that doesn’t belong to this reality might be accepted as the price for the fall of Oriande?_ She couldn’t believe she was actually considering it as a viable option. _Am I so intent on saving my own skin that I am prepared to sacrifice my father’s creation? I cannot do it. No, I must not even think about it._

Suddenly, she heard an urgent scream. “Allura! Watch out!” Before she could register what was happening, she was yanked into someone’s arms. She heard the whirring of Hunk’s blaster and then, a collective gasp of shock from the Paladins. 

Only then, Allura realized what had happened. Apparently, she had got so lost in her thoughts that she forgot about the defeated sorceress, or more precisely, didn’t imagine she could attack her in spite of losing her alchemic powers. Honerva had picked up her staff, the one she had tossed away while rushing to check on Lance. Had he not pulled her away, she would surely have got stabbed right through her guts.

However, that was not what had shocked the Paladins. Honerva was standing where she had been, fraction of a tick ago, tightly gripping her spear and her eyes wide in alarm.

In the middle of her forehead was sunk the Black Bayard’s scimitar.

**0908 hours: East Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

The sword had whizzed in from nowhere. _Black Bayard? That means..._ “Keith?”

But, the one who landed onto the steps of the East Gate was not Keith. Honerva’s eyes instantly went from alarm to betrayal to rage. “Lotor? My son!” she spat. “How could you?”

Allura disengaged herself from Lance’s arms on perceiving the newcomer. _Lotor is alive?! How!_ He was appallingly different from how she remembered him or how he had appeared to her in her visions and convinced her to use the Dark Entity in hunting down Honerva. His once beautiful hair hung down in clumps of dirty white, entangled with metal strips and melted leather. _Ancients! Did he get fused to his vehicle when I transferred the excess energy from Voltron to Sincline?!_ Fissures zigzagged along his face as though it had been split open and patched up hastily.

“I brought you back,” she continued, her voice seething in rage. “I saved you and this is how you repay me?!”

Lotor shot a baleful glare at his mother. “There is no one in this Universe I despise more than I despise you, witch. You don’t deserve to live any longer. Allura might spare your life, but you don’t deserve a second chance at life. I know you are up to no good.”

Honerva opened her mouth possibly to argue. Her golden eyes were radiating pure hate. All of a sudden, those eyeballs rolled back into her head. Allura stared dumbfounded as she slowly began to disintegrate. Her skin turned colorless and crumbled apart. With an massive explosion of purple Quintessence, her body shattered into a million shards.

That was the last Allura ever saw of Altea’s most famous alchemist, Honerva.

**0909 hours: Western hills of Oriande**

Keith didn’t wait around to find out who Lotor was planning to kill using his Bayard. He didn’t care. His one reason to smile and look forward to another day, lay in an ever-growing pool of dark blood. He gulped down his tears and sprinted towards her even as every word she had uttered last night kept playing in his mind like a broken cassette. 

_“But now, for the first time, I want neither. I just want to live. Not survive, but live. Live my life to the fullest.”_

Did she already know what was going to happen to her? Now that he thought about it, her words did feel a lot ominous and cryptic. She had gone out of the way to say that neither did she yearn for victory nor want to resign herself to her death, just wished to live. Was she indirectly asking him whether it would be possible in spite of today?

Her soothing voice echoed again in his ears. _“It feels like a dream, doesn’t it? ... Like a short-lived dream.”_

Hot tears ran down his cheeks, dissolving with the dried blood in its way. _So, s_ _he visited me last night to say her final goodbye?_ Acxa definitely knew her fate beforehand, before embarking for today’s battle. And yet, she joined them. She must have known Lotor was alive and that she was about to meet her fate at the hands of her old leader. She kept it to herself so that Hunk and the others won’t go crazy with fear. She kept it all within, not trusting even him with the information.

_“What I mean is I am not scared of you. I am, well, I am...scared of losing you...losing_ _us_ _.”_

So, the strange, almost scared expression on her face... it wasn’t for him, but for the Bayard he carried in his hands. Something must have happened in Honerva’s mind for her to recognize she was going to die at the hands of the Black Bayard. But what? What did she see? A vision from her future showing her something, just like he had known about the inevitable face-off between him and Shiro?

He slipped to his knees beside her. Her face wore a satisfied smile as if she were happy with how the outcome of the battle turned out to be. _This is unfair. I am not satisfied with the time I got to spend with you._ “Why do you look so pleased, Acxa? That you managed to save me? Leaving me behind like this... how could you—!”

With trembling fingers, he gently lifted her into his lap and touched the side of her face and head, mottled in blood. When Lotor flung her against the rock, her horn had snapped off. It lay scattered all around her like blood-spattered confetti. Keith hoped against hope that maybe, the horn protected her head from any internal head injury. _She has only one horn now...?_

A buried memory from the depths of his mind resurfaced. One of the future flashes he had glimpsed while travelling on the back of the space whale, he had seen Acxa although he didn’t know her name then. She was older, and her toddler perched on top of a wolf eerily similar to his own. Forbidden hope bloomed in him as the significance of the future flash finally settled in. _The kid is...mine?_

Keith hastily sat up, rubbing his blood and tears off his cheek while his brain replayed the scene so clearly that he might have seen it five minutes ago. Yes, the little girl did have her indigo eyes and jet black hair pulled up into a fountain and skin tone similar to his. The child was his, theirs. Cold relief flooded into his heart. _Acxa is gonna live through today. We... have a cute little girl in the far future!_

He started to laugh maniacally through his tears. Acxa was in pretty bad shape. The doctors would surely say she had no hopes to survive. But he had a thin string of hope in the form of a fantastic future vision he could cling onto, till the end, like a madman.

**0910 hours: East Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

The Paladins were poised around Lotor, their weapons drawn, anticipating some kind of counterattack from him. However, Lotor fell to the ground, his hands clutching his throat.

“Paladins, please...lower your weapons,” he pleaded. “Can’t you all trust me at least in death? We worked together for a long time, before—before everything escalated. For old times’ sake, can’t you—?”

Allura rolled her eyes internally. _Trust him? After all he has done, he is asking me to trust him?_ “The old times, you say? You mean, all those times you were tricking us and using us, more specifically me, as a pawn for your own gain?”

His frame was racked with violent coughs. He didn’t seem like he was going to answer her question, so, she continued, “You killed the witch? I suppose you knew her real identity. Haggar and Honerva were one and the same person. She was your mother, Lotor.”

“Are you saying that I committed the crime of matricide?” His hollow golden eyes bore a sad smile. “Well, I slew my father too. I released both my parents from the shell of futile existence they had been reduced to over the past ten thousand decaphoeebs.” He coughed again. “I too am dying, Allura. The Black Paladin has stabbed me in such a way that my Quintessence keeps draining from my body. I don’t have long.”

Allura had believed she was long over Lotor. But seeing him in agony, her heart constricted in pain as though she were the one who got stabbed. Lotor was not lying this time. The gash on his jugular did look deep. She knelt down beside him. “Keith...did this?”

A million questions rushed into her mind. _If Keith stabbed him, why does he have his Bayard? What happened to Keith? Did he kill him?!_

Lotor nodded weakly. He reached out to grasp her hand. “Allura, I—I might have withheld information from you, but my feelings for you were never false. I truly loved you, Allura. You are the best thing that happened to me in my almost immortal life.”

Her eyes involuntarily filled up. “I know,” she gulped.

“Can I ask you one question?”

“Go ahead.”

He drew a shaky, almost terminal breath. “If we had met in an alternate reality where there was no war between our fathers, would things have worked out between us?”

Allura closed her eyes. Strangely, even if she tried, she could only remember the beautiful moments they had spent together.

_The first time we met. Lotor had been locked up in the glass cell and I had sworn never to trust him._

_When he lit the flame at the Kral Zera after killing Zarkon, he never looked more regal and handsome. Was that the first moment I fell for him?_

_When we hunted together for the compass stone in Haggar’s lair, it was the first time he held my hand. I slowly started to feel comfortable with him. The compass stone revealing the origins of the mystical Oriande and the genuine exultation I had seen on his face._

Tears threatened to roll down her cheeks as more memories crowded into her mind. _When we climbed the Hill of Oriande together._ She recalled the story Lotor had related to her. Zarkon had banished him for working alongside the leadership and denizens of a planet he had been put in charge of. The memories the White Lion had shown her in Honerva’s mind had corroborated his tale. _You thought you destroyed every remnant of Altea, but you cannot unless you destroy your own son as well,_ he had protested.

_Then why, for the sake of Oriande, did you murder the innocent Alteans if you had wanted to protect them? We had spent so many happy quintants together, building the Sincline ships and on our adventure into the Quintessence Field. We had bonded over our love for exploration and seeking new knowledge._

_I loved you, Lotor. Why? Why did you put me through such a painful and impossible experience? Why did you keep such terrible secrets from me? Above all, why did you commit such a huge felony?_

She forced the burning ball of tears down her throat and croaked, “Maybe.”

Lotor nodded like he had passed a difficult ordeal. “Maybe is the most pleasant answer to my ears. Goodbye, Princess. Take care.” 

With that, he disintegrated into cosmic dust just like his mother. A cold gust of wind blew away before Allura could touch it. 

**0912 hours: Western Hills of Oriande**

As he watched the Paladins and the Princess kneeling around Lotor, sobbing because their favorite space Prince was close to death’s doors, Keith couldn’t help but wonder if Lotor’s words were true. _If you had not stuck your nose in my affairs... this whole battle could have been avoided._ “Was my return to the Castle of Lions actually a mistake? Perhaps, I should just have stayed away. The Paladins were fine, not knowing whatever secrets Lotor had up his sleeves. Perhaps, I should have not interfered. They bonded better with Lotor than they ever did with me.”

A soft rumble to his side shook him out of his thoughts. The Black and the Blue Lions were crouching beside him. If mechanical lions could wear human expressions on their faces, contrite would be written large on theirs.

_I am sorry, Leader._ Black spoke in his mind. _I couldn’t protect you._

Blue sounded like she was going to tear up. _Yes, and the Blue Paladin too... she got fatally injured because of me._

Keith consoled them. Although Black was out for longer than usual, Blue did try to protect him. It was because Lotor was in the possession of the Black Bayard, she didn’t stand a chance against him. “We need to get down to the others.”

Once he finished sealing her wound as best as he could, it took him exactly two minutes to prepare a makeshift swathe with whatever he could lay his hands on. Then, he carefully lifted her and got to his feet. “Hang in there, Acxa. I know you will pull through.”

Presently, down at the East Gate, a swirling portal opened up. _Are those people in there?_ Keith squinted to get a better look. They were definitely people inside the portal, someone very familiar to him. _The Paladins of the Old?_

**0914 hours: East Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

“Father?” Her eyes widened in surprise. It was indeed the spirit of King Alfor, standing inside a portal emitting radial brilliant energy, flanked on either side by Trigel, Gyrgan and Blaytz. “Father!”

Allura dashed towards the portal in sheer relief. When the witch’s shadows crept over and swallowed King Alfor, she had become frantic with worry he might have again got lost forever. Now, seeing that he and the other Paladins were safe and well, she wished for nothing more than to hug him like her father’s baby girl that she was. However, an invisible forcefield pushed her out of the portal. _The border that severs the dead from the living?_ “Father,” she cried. “Father, you are alright!”

“Yes, my dear daughter, thanks to you.” His eyes lit up proudly. “When you extracted the Dark Entities from within Honerva and took away her alchemic powers, our spirits were also released from her clutches. Now, we can proceed to our afterlives in peace.”

The three Paladins bowed to her and waved their goodbyes to their present counterparts before walking off into the spiraling horizon, arms thrown around each other’s shoulders. Their laughter and loud chatter retreated along with them in the distance. “At last, they have found the peace they sought for the past ten thousand decaphoeebs of tragedy,” Alfor continued. “Now that the Universe is in the hands of capable Paladins, we can rest in peace.”

Allura cleared her throat. _The war is over, but more difficulties remain._ “Father, but this reality is still in danger. The trans-reality rift Honerva opened is expanding with every passing tick and—”

“And, you believe Oriande has the energy powerful enough to close the rift. You are absolutely correct, Allura.”

“But that means...?”

“Yes, unfortunately,” he agreed. “If Oriande has to fall, you have to pay the toll for it. I know you are willing to do so, but you must not sacrifice yourself for saving this reality. You are the only one who possesses all the secrets of Oriande. You have to live on and preserve the knowledge of Altean alchemy and our ancient traditions. You know of another way.”

She shook her head in disbelief. _To save this reality... anything that doesn’t belong to this reality must be sacrificed?_ “Father, I understand. But—but I cannot do that. I cannot sacrifice your legacy. What if—”

King Alfor smiled kindly. “Allura, the Universe has now come to the juncture when you no longer need the Lions of Voltron. You and the Paladins have brought back the era of peace which prevailed before the trans-reality comet was discovered. The fate of the Universe now rests in your responsible hands. The Voltron Lions must return whence they came.” 

She stared at the ground, trying to resolve her inner turmoil. _Father is giving me permission to sacrifice the Lions of Voltron?_

Just then, the curtain of Mist parted and a lady in royal attire stepped forward to King Alfor. “I have waited a long time for you, husband. Allura, my dear daughter?”

The emotions she had bottled in herself for too long came undone at the familiar voice she hadn’t heard for eons. “Mother!”

Queen Melenor winced, partly in joy on meeting her and partly in sorrow that their meeting was going to be a short-lived one. “Allura, my daughter. I am sorry I wasn’t there for you and left you to face all your battles alone. Nevertheless, I am proud of how you have grown as an alchemist, a fine warrior and as my beautiful girl. I love you, Allura.”

Allura removed her helmet to dab at her eyes. “I love you too, Mother.”

King Alfor took his queen’s hands in his. “It is time, my dear, to take leave of you. Your time has not yet come, my daughter. You have a long life to look forward to. See that you do not repeat my mistakes.” They raised their hands in blessing. “Farewell, Allura.”

As they stepped through the curtain of Mist, Allura noticed three waiting figures. _Zarkon and Honerva in their younger, uncorrupted selves. And Lotor._ Zarkon and Alfor shared a brotherly hug while the two ladies shook hands with a friendly smile. Lotor enveloped his mother in a warm hug he could never experience in his entire life. The former Empress of the Galra and the highly feared High Priestess Haggar laughed and fondly stroked her son’s hair.

Her heart grew hollow with the pain of loneliness. _Now, only I am left behind with the memories, adventures and laughter we shared?_ She sighed and turned around to find the Paladins in varying degrees of grief. Hunk was on the ground bawling his eyes out. Lance and Pidge were sniffling back their tears.

“Allura,” Lance whispered. “We are there with you. Always. I won’t ever leave you alone.” 

The portal was fast shrinking. “I know. It’s just...” _I am going to miss them._ “Whoa!”

The Blue and the Black Lion stirred up a huge sandstorm as they descended next to the other Lions.

**0920 hours: East Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

She got the answer to her question as soon as Keith walked down the ramp, carrying an unconscious Acxa in his arms. At first, Allura thought she was still passed out from having struck down by Sincline. When he laid her down, all the pieces of the puzzle fell into their places. _So, Keith killed Lotor to revenge the woman he loved?_

Keith didn’t look any better. His hair was plastered down on one side in mud and blood, trickling down his cheek. His bloody armor was torn to reveal a gaping wound on his chest. It was painfully red and swollen as though it had been seared shut. But he was too absorbed with Acxa to worry about himself. “Princess, you can heal her, can’t you? Please, please...”

Lance and Hunk, who had been transfixed in their places, rushed to his side. Pidge had already pulled up her gauntlet computer to check on her vitals. Just from her face, Allura figured out things didn’t look good for Acxa. However, from the frantic, almost manic fire in his eyes, she guessed Keith was not ready to take a no for an answer. “I can try, Keith. But I—I cannot be sure—” 

“Didn’t you say you are a life giver?” he snapped. “What good is a life giver if she isn’t sure she can heal an injured person?”

“Keith, what are you—”

“I know. You say some fancy words to instill hope in me the way you did for Shiro. And then, you say a halfhearted sorry and leave.” _Why is he getting angry with me? Lotor killed his girlfriend. I am only trying to help._ “Can you or can you not save her?”

“Fine.” Allura huffed in frustration. The others were swaying their heads to and fro between them as though watching an interesting match. “What if I declare she is gone beyond my healing? There is nothing you can do, right?”

His eyes turned yellow with fury. “I will never leave her to die. I will do anything to bring her back.” He closed his eyes and gritted out, more to himself than to her. “Quintessence is life. Then, all she needs is Quintessence, isn’t it? The Rift. It is the gateway to another reality. So, Quintessence Field...” _No, Keith! What are you reaching for?_

Allura grabbed his arm as soon as he got up to put his plan to action. “Keith, no. This was the very foolish quest that cost Zarkon and Honerva their lives.” _See that you do not repeat my mistakes,_ her father had said. She realized this was what he had warned her about. “Keith, I will not let you do this. Plus, I am sure Acxa would not want this.”

“I agree with the Princess,” Hunk said. “Keith, don’t do this. ‘Victory or Death’ is the Galra way. She would rather die in honor than be brought back like that.”

“No, you are wrong.” Keith tugged free his hand. “She had expressed very clearly her desire to live, come what may. You know nothing— huh?!” 

Allura glanced back at what stunned him so to stop right in the mid of his outburst. It was the majestic White Lion of Oriande. 

**0922 hours: East Gate, Temple of Alchemists**

_So, is your war over?_ The Guardian trudged to the Voltron Lions and scratched at their legs.

Allura hesitated for two reasons. One, because it seemed like someone had caught a white lion from somewhere and stuffed the soul of a deity in it. The way he behaved was not unlike an actual four-legged carnivore. 

Second, because it was a trick question. There were hundreds and thousands of ways to trigger a new conflict anytime. Keith was on the brink of splitting away from the team and doing things his own way as he always did, though for now, he was speechless seeing the White Lion. “I suppose. But the Rift Honerva opened up is rapidly expanding. Unless we stop the expansion, this reality is doomed.”

_Hmm._ He rumbled in attention. _And?_

“And, we need to save this reality, mighty Guardian. As far as I know, there is only one way to accomplish this.” She paused again, unsure how to proceed. “Oriande has the kind of constructive Quintessence required to seal the rift. Of course, that would mean... this ancient realm will have to be sacrificed.”

He swished his tail and sniffed at Hunk’s leg. The poor guy was so frightened of the live lion at his knees he looked ready to wet his pants. “Psst!” _Lance._ “Is the Lion talking to you?”

Allura hushed him with a finger on his lips. The White Lion continued his inspection of a shivering Hunk. _‘Sacrifice’ is too big of a word for divinities. We don’t perish permanently. If we grant your wish and use up all the Quintessence to seal the rift between realities, Oriande will simply regenerate and reappear in another expanse of the Universe. As the price of this deed, we will demand something equal in value—_

“I know,” she retorted ruefully. 

_Also, the next location of Oriande will be a mystery for you. Only the worthiest of the Alteans will be successful in their quest to locate and learn the secrets of Oriande._

She considered his statement. “Oh, so, Oriande will reappear but no longer in the Patrulian Zone? But, what about me? Being a Sage of Oriande, am I not supposed to know your new location?”

_Indeed. If you do not find us in your lifetime, you will find us after your death._ The White Lion was studying Keith and Acxa. He nudged her face with his snout. _Anyways, your comrade here doesn’t have much time. If you hurry, you can save her life._

He padded over and fixed those dangerously beautiful amber eyes upon her. _So, have you decided what you are going to pay as my toll?_

**0930 hours: Aboard IGF Atlas**

Everything that happened next was a blur. Sitting on the floor outside the emergency ward, Keith could only remember bits and pieces of what had happened after Allura decided to sacrifice the Lions of Voltron as a price for the fall of Oriande.

He went completely numb with shock. Was he really fated to lose everyone precious to him? First, it was his dad; then, his brother, Shiro. Now, Acxa was fighting for her life and the only beings that ever cared for him were lost as sacrifice to save a reality not worth living for him.

He was forced to say an unexpected goodbye to the Lions. He had not been prepared to lose them. They might be mechanical lions, but they, especially Red, saved him on so many occasions that he lost count. Parting with her was the most painful. Fresh tears pricked his eyes as he remembered the first time she had acted all high and mighty and refused to accept him as her Paladin until he proved his worth.

And, Black too. She had chosen him as the leader in a time he doubted his own abilities. For long, he had blamed her for not protecting Shiro from Zarkon. _I am sorry, Black. I should have treated you better._

Without another word, the Lions graciously accepted their fate as voiced by the Princess. They roared their goodbyes to him. Even, Blue had a thank you message for him. She was the one among the five his mom had found. She had imprinted on him as a baby and called out to him when the time was right. His finding the Blue Lion marked the beginning of the entire saga. She apologized over and over for failing to protect Acxa, but it wasn’t something Keith would hold against her.

The other Paladins were gathered at the bridge to watch Oriande going supernova. But he wasn’t interested. Krolia sat beside him, hugging him, trying to console him and convince him that his wounds were also serious enough to be treated properly. His wolf kept licking his face. Perhaps, he thought saliva was a good antiseptic. Knowing cosmic wolves, anything could be possible.

“Keith, your life force is getting weaker,” Krolia insisted. “Do you want to die like this and lose the chance to see Acxa when she wakes up?” 

Keith frowned but made no attempts to leave her side. “The doctors are trying their best,” she continued. “The Princess too has promised to check on her once her wounds are bandaged. She will be fine. You need to take care of yourself now.”

Suddenly, a loud whoop of joy went up among the Atlas crew outside. Presently, Pidge and Hunk entered the medbay. “What’s going on?”

Pidge was jumping back and forth on her heels, unable to contain her excitement. “Oh my gosh! Olkarion has come back to life. Altea, too, OMG! This is the best thing ever!”

“We have saved all realities, Keith! Aren’t you—” Hunk frowned as he remembered why he was there in the first place. “How is Acxa? And, dude, you are in pretty bad shape too.”

Everyone was happy in their own bubbles. But of course, no one had lost so much as he did. Pidge had all of her family right here on Atlas. Lance and Hunk had theirs waiting back on Earth.

If Altea was revived, Allura would finally get to be the princess she was destined to be. She had loyal attendants in Merla, Rian, Tavo, Coran and Romelle. Plus, a whole colony of Alteans they rescued from Oriande.

So, this certainly must be the happiest day of their lives. They ended the war raging for ten thousand years, saved all the realities and won the day. Technically, he too should be jumping with joy. But, all he could feel was emptiness. 

His mother’s worried face and Kosmo’s soft whining brought him back to reality. _Don’t die, Keith. Please?_

Hope was all he had, to look forward to. “ _That’s great! You know, once this whole war is over, I wanna do just that. Live happily ever after, as they say? With you, Mom, Kosmo. No more wars, no more going on dangerous missions..._ ”

If Acxa was going to wake up to live the day he had proposed, he should do so too.

“You are right.” He climbed to his feet. “I cannot lose hope and die here. Not like this when I have so much more to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some things I couldn't include in the chapter: 
> 
> 1\. Yes, they have given up the Sincline too as part of toll (knowingly or unknowingly) the reason why Olkarion, Altea and Daibazaal were revived from dead. 
> 
> 2\. The Paladins escaped from Oriande in the cargo ship which Honerva had used to kidnap the Alteans. Merla, Rian and Tavo had gathered their friends in the cargo ship just in time for them to escape the mystical realm. 
> 
> 3\. As Keith came down from the Western Hills, he had asked Blue to pick up the two injured Altean pilots as well. The robeasts which attacked Hunk, Lance and Pidge were deactivated as soon as Honerva's alchemy was taken away from her. The two uninjured pilots carried their injured fellow Alteans to the cargo ship. 
> 
> 4\. One more thing I forgot to add, the IGF Atlas can not transform into the giant mecha anymore, for it was due to the spirit of the White Lion that Allura used in her alchemic transformation. Now that, the White Lion and Oriande are technically 'dead' or lost until found which might take centuries, the power given to the Atlas has been 'withdrawn'. 
> 
> Feel free to ask if you have any other doubts!


	20. A New Beginning

**ONE YEAR LATER**

_**With the return of the planet Daibazaal, the Galra Empire is at crossroads.** _

_The steps of destiny_ , he remembered the Archivist’s words from the first ever Kral Zera he witnessed after the death of Zarkon.

Keith was standing atop those steps in his red and white Paladin armor, flanked by Krolia and Kolivan and his wolf proudly watching his back. The sacred pink flames burnt steadily despite the perpetual strong gusts of wind on planet Feyiv.

But, today, neither were the steps to be ascended nor the Kral Zera to be lit. With the passing of Lotor and the end of his short reign, marking the end of the ten thousand years old war as well, the history of the Galra Empire turned a new page when monarchy was finally abolished and replaced by democracy.

_**For too long, the people of this extraordinary civilization have been manipulated by a dictatorship that places a misguided sense of self-preservation above all else.** _

When the Galra came to know from the rapidly altering starcharts after the fall of Oriande that along with Altea and Olkarion, Daibazaal too had been revived, they were overjoyed.

After the war was declared over by Kolivan, they immediately started to work together in complete harmony, putting aside and hopefully, completely eliminating all their past internal animosity. The coming months were hectic; what with building their new dwellings and making their planet habitable with the fresh resources found.

_**It was a tragic, unfortunate series of events that led us down this dark, never-ending path of power and greed.** _

And, finally, the dependency on Quintessence ceased with the reemergence of the Galran home planet. The various systems were recalibrated and in many cases, totally obliterated so as to avoid any use of Quintessence as a fuel. The research on the same, however revolutionary it might have been, was banned by a mutual agreement between Altea and Daibazaal, the pioneers in the technology, in order to avoid further bloodshed in the name of this cause.

_**But now... we, the citizens of the Galra Empire, have an opportunity to make right all of the injustices set into motion by our forefathers by joining the Galactic Coalition and ushering in a new era of peace across the Universe.** _

From the huge cheer that rippled through the gathered Galra citizens, Keith guessed he had invoked the feelings of hope and inspiration as he imagined. He had practiced his lines a hundred times before his test audience.

Namely, his wolf, who was two times his size now, and who was happy whatever be the words or however he might deliver it, his only reply was: _Well done, boss. You are the man!_

Kolivan and his mother, both of them had a quiet exultation in their impassive faces and cold eyes which comforted Keith to some extent. _My speech must have been passable._

His eyes searched the crowds for the third of his test audience and in turn, were greeted by a lot of familiar faces.

Warlord Lahn had his usual scowl on his face, but from the almost indiscernible twinkle in his solid gold eyes, Keith guessed he was not really disappointed with how things had worked out. His contribution to the unification of the Galra troops and abolition of monarchy for equal rights to all the citizens was commendable.

Standing beside the hearth of the Kral Zera was a pokerfaced Commander Gnov. Over the months, Keith had come to a cordial agreement with her regarding the kick to her face being purely an act of self-defense and not from any kind of malice directed towards her. With her vast experience having worked closely with Zarkon as his topmost advisor and with the inner circle of his commanders, she proved herself to be an indispensable part of the future Galra advisory committee.

Next to her, Warlord Morvok revolved on his usual hoverpad, straightening to his height as much as he could. He was shaking his clasped fists above his head. Tears of joy flooded down his face as he cheered for him. Keith didn’t know how to react to such an excited Galra warrior, so he just offered an awkward wave. Immediately, the crowds went wild. 

Then, he spotted her. Either by fate or her choice, she was standing in the very place from where she had shot down Gnov’s weapon and saved his life years ago, surrounded by a smug Zethrid with her arms folded just to flex her muscles, Ezor grinning widely as though she had all sorts of mischief planned for later, the motherly Syra and fierce as ever Ilun. Vrek, the warden from Beta Traz prison and a few other Blades were enthusiastically pumping their fists.

Acxa smiled at him, this time her eyes shining proudly. _I am glad we both made it out alive to soak in this historic moment._

He returned her smile and once again, the crowds went wild.

**EIGHT MONTHS LATER**

“Woah! Wait, are those Altean markings?”

Lance swatted away his fingers. His skin glowed cyan in the form of the most striking features of the Alteans: crescent shaped markings beneath the eyes. “Yes, and stop poking my face!”

Hunk peered closer and squashed his cheeks to check whether they were painted. “How did you get these?”

“Alu-la hay they—me,” He managed to splurt out.

“Allura gave them to you?” _What! How? Permanent Altean skin paint? Her usual magical alchemic voodoo? Or, did she happen to discover his secret Altean lineage, unknown for years like mine? But he knows both his parents!_ “How?”

Hunk scratched at his markings and checked his nails. “It isn’t blue paint?”

“No.” Lance pushed off Hunk, scowling in pain. “Hunk, stop that! You guys are such...torture, ugh!”

“Well, you didn’t answer the question.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Romantically, I guess?”

“Romantically?” Keith cleared his throat. Lance and Allura had finally started dating a few weeks ago, after months of flirting and everyone from Allura’s mice to Lance’s Kaltenecker coming together to say, ‘You guys like each other. Just confess already!’ _Heck, I am better in the romance department than the renowned lover boy of Voltron._ “You know what? I don’t need any details.”

He chuckled. “What about you? How is Acxa? Did she come over to Altea today?”

“Yep. She is here.” Keith stepped out on the path leading from the Altean Training School where they had found Lance to the small hill alongside the newly constructed Castle, where the evening banquet was to be held. “By the way, I can’t still wrap my head around the fact you are _teaching_ Altean kids. What exactly are you teaching? The art of flirting?”

“Oh, bingo. That’s for free, however.” He threw his arms across both their necks forcing them to lug him along. “To put it simply, the kids gifted with Altean alchemy are tutored by Allura and the others like her. Those who are not, have other disciplines to choose from. Mine is basic till advanced pilot classes. After all, I’m the coolest slash the best pilot of our bunch.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Ah, I see.”

A kid of about twelve with dark hair and violet eyes passed by and waved happily at them. As soon as he entered the school premises, a flock of giggling girls swooped down from nowhere as if he were their favorite celebrity crush.

“He is one of _my_ pupils.” Lance wiped away a fake tear from his eye. “Reminds me of the days of my prime. Girls used to flock around me jus’ like that.” 

“Missing the old days, loverboy Lance? You aren’t regretting having to settle for one girl, are you?”

Lance stopped in his tracks. “Hunk, what are you talking about?! I love Allura, okay?” Keith could see he was visibly hurt. “Like I actually, truly fell and still am falling for her. I can’t imagine being with anyone else. But ‘cause wooing is an art, I don’t want it to die with me. I’m passing it on to the newer generations. Passing it on, okay?”

Hunk held up his hands in apology when a familiar voice spoke up behind them. “Perhaps, you should visit Daibazaal one of these days and offer to teach the art of wooing to the Galra boys as well. They are such monumental blockheads when it comes to romance and stuff.”

“Acxa!” Hunk squeezed her life out in one of his rib-cracking bearhugs. “It’s so good to see you. We missed you so—oh much!”

Whereas, Lance didn’t even bat an eyelid to retort, “Ha-ha, possibly because they have no one but Keith to learn from.”

Keith forced himself to smile at his insult. _He won’t give up even a single chance to make fun of me, will he?_

The banquet was cozy. Allura hadn’t bothered to wear her uncomfortable royal attire nor spent vargas trying to put up her hair in a perfect bun. Clad in her royal nightgown, she was as relaxed as she could be, for the invitees were not formal guests, Coalition representatives or any of her own people requesting her assistance. _Just some of my closest friends._

The night was cool and filled with loud whoops and giggles. Coran and Lance were having a speed eating contest— how many buns can they gobble down in two doboshes? Hunk and Rian was egging on Lance, while Merla and Romelle were on team Coran. Tavo was acting as the tickkeeper. _My second father and my boyfriend, sigh!_

On the other side of the table, a wolf’s snout would pop up to inhale from Keith’s or Krolia’s plates whenever they turned away to talk to someone or watch something interesting. Allura was surprised at how much Keith had changed. He was no longer the insecure guy who had run away from them after he was selected as the new Black Paladin. Now, not only was he taller and bigger, he also oozed confidence and a sense of quiet dignity.

She knew some part of his newfound confidence stemmed from Acxa too. There was a time Allura used to heavily distrust her. She had shamelessly gone to the extent of convincing Keith about the same. But that was all in the past. The two girls were good friends now.

After Lotor almost killed her, Allura did everything in her power to bring her back from the brink. She visited her often in the hospital in the following phoeebs she took to recover fully, and later, when Acxa was moved to their new home which she shared with Keith, Krolia and their wolf.

Pidge was busy gushing about some new, shiny tech toy she had developed to Acxa while the mice swallowed the food right from her bowl. She and her family successfully rebuilt what her father had started, just as she had expected. Olkarion had been named as the Northern Hub for all alien technology. While Matt and she were working closely with the Olkari, Admiral Holt helped transition Earth as the Southern Hub and also, stabilized the teludav technology compatible with Earth standards.

It wasn’t like any other banquet Allura had attended. Super chaotic, but somehow, it felt just right. It felt like home.

Coran won the contest. _Obviously._ Lance was left all but choking over the buns he had stuffed in his mouth.

“The filet of bandrillo, spiced with the seasoning from the plains of planet Mabo,” Hunk was explaining about the various items laid on the banquet table. “Alongside pilaf of long-grain forlongian brill from the vast fields of Antidoll.” 

Lance tried to wash his throat down with a glass of cider, but the poor guy choked again. “Accompanied by a cider made from the petals of the juniberry flower.” 

Allura smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Hunk, for arranging today’s wonderful banquet and all the exquisite delicacies.”

“Princess, it is our utmost honor at Vrepit Sals’ to be working so closely with Altea.” Hunk bowed with a dramatic flourish of his hand. “We are doing what we can in bringing together the Universe, one meal at a time. Though I suspect our next undertaking will be from Daibazaal.”

Keith looked up from his plate. “And why is that?”

“You know, the much awaited celebrity wedding on Daibazaal. The day when Acxa and you get married.”

It was now Acxa’s turn to choke over her food. Though Keith didn’t seem as affected as her, he glared at Hunk, making some wild eye gestures, all of which he just ignored.

Allura bit back her grin. “Speaking of which, how are things going on Daibazaal?”

Krolia was trying hard to suppress her amusement on watching their antics too but she managed to answer. “We're calling for an election to select the Galran representative for the Galactic Coalition. So that's a step in the right direction.”

“I am sure Kolivan or you will be elected, Mom. Or, maybe Lahn? He is also a popular candidate.”

“Let me guess. They asked you to be their leader and you said no?”

Keith shrugged nonchalantly. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“Classic Keith.”

Everyone started to cackle at the exchange between the two boys. Allura was smiling as well, when she suddenly remembered a certain someone who was being sorely missed with them on this day.

Hunk put her thoughts into words. “Man, how I wish Shiro was here with us too.” Keith nodded slowly, a forlorn smile spreading over his face.

“Shiro would be proud of you, Keith.” Allura rose from her seat. “Let’s raise a toast to him, to the Paladins of Old, and to the countless others who sacrificed their lives for this day to come. To family!”

“To family!”

Acxa lay on her bed in her assigned room aboard the new Castle of Altea. The night was warm, and she realized she won’t be able to sleep anytime soon. She was about to take off her shirt when there was a knock on the door. _Who is it?_

Her hand automatically stuffed her gun in her belt before walking up to open the door. _Who could it be?_ “Keith! What are you doing here?”

He craned his neck to check the corridor for any passersby. _What is he doing in the ladies’ quarters? It is past midnight now._ He didn’t seem to have slept at all. His hair was messy as always and he was wearing his indigo and maroon jacket, black shirt, jeans and hiking boots he wore for the banquet. He tugged at her hand. “Come with me.”

“Where to?”

“Didn’t you say if I am to lead, you will follow me anywhere?”

_Touché._ “Well, yeah, but I didn’t mean sneaking out in the middle of the night.”

He raised his eyebrow in the way that never failed to make her heart skip a beat. She sighed in resignation. “Okay, wait. Let me get my jacket.” 

Wherever Keith was taking her was far too deep into the woods. Not that she was scared, but she randomly wondered if he knew the way back to the Castle. Just then, he reached out to grasp her claws again. “It’s a bit steep, so be careful. Step exactly on where I do.”

“Right, but aren’t you going to tell me what this is all about?”

In the darkness of the night, Acxa felt him shaking his head. “Nope. You’ll see.” 

The moon rose overhead and she could discern her surroundings better. They were climbing a cliff; twigs brushing in their faces, rhythmic chirping of insects under the damp leaves and giant shadows dancing with the night breeze and the stars.

Keith abruptly stopped in his track. She would have crashed into his back, but he must have anticipated her movements for he grabbed her shoulders and steadied her. “Okay, now, close your eyes.”

“Wh—what? Why?”

He groaned as though he had expected her to say exactly that. “Uh! Just close those eyes so I can say ta-da.”

Acxa was utterly confused. “What? What... _ta-da_?”

He covered his face with his hands. After a count of three, he lifted his head. 

“Come along,” he sighed, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice. Slowly, he pushed aside the curtain of foliage before them.

Looking at her slack jawed expression, Keith was gratified. Though his initial plan failed, at least she was as stunned as him, the first time he laid his eyes on this place. 

The last time he visited Altea, Acxa had not accompanied him. She was still in her recovery phase and been advised not to travel or even move around too much. It was then he had come to know from Coran of one of the natural wonders on planet Altea. _The entire hill is one huge boulder of pink and teal limestone. The only plant that thrives on it is the silvery moonlace. It blooms with the full moon and withers away as dawn approaches._

“Wow!”

The limestone hill was only one part of the magnificent mountain range. On the opposite side, purple waterfall plunged down and meandered through the forests in the valley. Keith wondered what kind of exotic animals might be living down there.

He stepped next to her. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Wow!” she repeated as if she could articulate no further. For a long time, they just stood there in their own thought bubbles, basking in the exquisite beauty of their surroundings and in the comfortable silence.

Finally, he ventured, “What are you thinking?”

“Huh?” Her eyes twinkled like fine sapphires. “Nothing. Or perhaps, a lot of things all together.”

He snorted and flopped down on the ground, stretching his legs out in front of him. She followed suit. “You are right, you know,” she said presently. “Kolivan or Krolia will be the elected representatives for the Galactic Coalition.”

_Isn’t this moment supposed to be romantic? Why is she talking about Galran politics now?_ “Um, did you want to stand in for the elections as well? You could suggest your name as a candidate too. You’ll get four votes for sure.”

“Ha-ha, no. I was just thinking...if Kolivan is elected to the Galactic Coalition, the Blade of Marmora will be dissolved, won’t it?”

“Oh.” He had already discussed the matter with Kolivan. _The Universe has now reached a juncture we, the Galra, no longer need a secret underground rebel organization. The dictatorship that plagued our Empire for so long has been rooted out completely. Now, we have to remain united and work together if we are to rebuild our planet to the past days of glory._ “I suppose. Mom collected all the blades from Macidus’ lair. I really don’t want the memories of their sacrifice to die with them. Perhaps, we can do something to revive the Blade of Marmora...?”

“It’s a pity I lost my blade during the Battle of Oriande.”

Keith was about to blurt out, _hey, you didn’t lose your blade! It’s with me!_ when he remembered the blunder he had unknowingly committed a year ago. Apparently, in Galran culture, handing over a knife to a girl in open palms was same as proposing to her. Or, so Krolia had told him. _How can I forget why I brought her here in the first place? Why am I so pathetic?_

He pulled out her blade from his pocket. _Handle this delicately, Keith. Don’t blow this._ “Actually, I have your blade. I retrieved it before we left Oriande.”

She wheeled around to face him, her eyes wide in surprise. _This is not good, this is not good!_ “You had my blade all this while? Why didn’t you return it to me?”

His pulse was already racing either from nervousness or from their close proximity. He leaned away from her face. “I—I...I, uh,” he cleared his throat. _My voice just has to embarrassingly crack now?!_ “Well, Mom told me something about this gesture. She said—you know, something about handing over girls to knives, uh, no. No, the other way around.”

Her eyes went from surprise to confusion to slow realization. She shifted away from him, chewing on her lips. In the moonlight, Keith caught her lips upturn slightly. “You are laughing at me! You knew about this, didn’t you?”

Her smile grew coyer. “Maybe.”

_That means...?_ “Then, when you accepted the blade two years ago...?”

She didn’t reply right away. But when she did, she took his breath away as always. She turned and simply picked up the blade from his palms. “I knew what it implied, then. So as I do, now. Keith, how many ever times you might ask me, my answer is yes. I am prepared to fight by your side, for now and forever. I will follow you into the abyss if you ask me.”

He was flabbergasted. _That is it? She accepted my proposal just like that? This isn’t the way it was supposed to happen? I had prepared so much!_ “Why? What’s wrong?”

“That was supposed to be my line. I was supposed to hand over the blade like this, in open palms and propose to you on one knee, like I have seen guys doing in those godawful romantic movies.”

The expression on his face must have been pretty good, for Acxa burst into laughter. “You look like you swallowed a lemon with a spoonful of salt,” she gasped. _You don’t even know what a lemon tastes like!_ “Keith, there is no need. You and I, we don’t need words. From the beginning, from the day we met, we never needed those...”

Six years ago, if anyone had told him that he was going to fly in a mechanical space lion, he would have laughed in their face. Added to that, the big reveal that his mom belonged to one of the warrior alien species from the opposite end of the Universe. He had always wondered if all of this was really happening or he was just making up everything in his head. Perhaps, when his dream ended, he would wake up back in his lonely desert shack.

_In that case, I want my dream to never come to an end._ “Acxa?”

“...like I lost my horn, you got this marking. We both have suffered something permanent—” She stopped in the middle of her sentence and looked up. “Hmm?”

“Just shut up and kiss me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this series has come to an end here! Hope you all enjoyed it throughout as much I enjoyed writing it! A huge thanks to all my dear readers who took some time out of their busy day to leave a kudos or comments on the series. For any readers who find this story on a later date, please don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts. I really love reading all your comments. 
> 
> A special mention to Guyvantic_Guyver, poorrichardslegacy, StoryTeller_a_Fanfic_lover, ShiranaiAtsune, Brian Smith for staying with me from the beginning of the series till the end without losing faith in my writing. This series helped me pass a difficult phase of my life over the past six months. So, believe me, all your comments really helped me in more ways than you know. You guys will stay in my heart for a long time <3 <3 
> 
> Stay safe and healthy wherever you are. Take care! Love you all!! :D


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